Funds for ULBs to recycle waste

The State government will issue directions to urban local bodies (ULBs) across the State to procure units to process fresh and accumulated municipal solid waste as part of its Rs 100-crore solid waste management programme.

The urban development department (UDD) and the Municipal Administration department have already prepared a blueprint on allocation of the Rs 100-crore grant across 213 ULBs excluding Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

This is for the first time that separate grants have been allotted for solid waste management in ULBs, sources in the UDD said.

A separate plan would be unveiled for BBMP, the sources said.

The main thrust of the solid waste management programme is on doing away with dumping municipal solid waste at landfill sites and putting in place a platform to dispose of waste scientifically.

Waste into vermicompost

The ULBs would be provided grants to purchase simple processing units each costing around Rs eight lakh to convert fresh waste into vermicompost. The sources said the government had decided to replicate the Koppal model of processing solid waste in the 213 ULBs including seven city corporations, 44 city municipal councils, 94 town municipal councils and 68 town panchayats. The recycling of solid waste by the Koppal City 
Municipal Council (CMC) has proved to be a hit and was recently appreciated by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board. Koppal generates around 30 tonnes of municipal solid waste every day.

The CMC has installed a simple waste processing unit on the outskirts of the town.
The machine sorts out garbage into plastics, glass, other non-degradable waste and degradable waste. The degradable waste is converted into organic fertilisers at the vermicompost unit.

The organic fertilisers have become popular among farmers in the region and is sold at around Rs 50 per tractor load, the sources said.

To process accumulated waste dumped at landfill sites, the government will soon issue directions to the ULBs to procure old waste processing units. 

The Rs 100-crore plan also includes grants for construction of biogas plant units near government hostels and Morarji Desai schools to utilise municipal solid waste and produce biogas, which in turn will be used for cooking food in hostels.
The sources said that the grants (Rs five lakh for each ULB) would be provided for the construction of dry recovery centres in all ULBs to separately process plastic by using bailing machines.

 For the plan to become a success, segregation of solid waste at source is important. The legislature recently passed the Karnataka Municipal Corporations (Amendment) Bill, 2013, prohibiting random dumping of waste.

The provisions of the legislation empower civic authorities to ensure that citizens separate various kinds of garbage and contractors segregate them.
The sources said rules for implementing the provisions of the legislation would be notified soon. The Governor’s assent for the legislation is awaited.

Trash matters

* Koppal model of solid waste management to be replicated in all ULBs
* All ULBs to procure solid waste processing units
* Degradable waste to be converted into vermicompost
* Vermicompost to be sold to farmers at subsidised rates
* Plastic to be processed separately using bailing machines