Two more bio-med waste incinerators in city

The government will set up five more incinerators in the state, including 2 in the city, to handle bio-medical waste, Forest, Environment and Ecology Minister Ramanath Rai said on Tuesday.

He was speaking at the inauguration of a day-long session on ‘Innovative Methods of Management of Discarded Medicines,’ organised by Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) and Satva Health Solutions Private Limited.

He said, three of the incinerators will be set up on a pilot basis in Bengaluru Rural, Kolar and Chikkaballapur by May end.

KSPCB chairman Lakshman said Karnataka generates 82 tonnes of bio-medical waste every day, 50% of which is from Bengaluru. The existing incinerators in Bengaluru (Kanakapura Road, Hoskote and Dobbspet) are unable to handle the load.

They handle 25 kg waste per hour and work for 8-10 hours a day. Two more will be set up, in Bengaluru south and east, 30 km away from the city.

No complaints
There are no complaints from people in the vicinity of the incinerators as waste is burnt at 1,200 degree Celsius, he said. Large quantities of bio-medical waste are being mixed with municipal waste and dumped around lakes, vacant sites and other places, Lakshman said.

Environmentalist A N Yellappa Reddy demanded that the government should look into the management of poultry and slaughterhouse waste.

MLA N A Haris proposed to Rai and to the Karnataka Chemists and Druggists Association that pharmaceutical firms put up stickers and keep dustbins in their shops to collect expired medicines from customers, which will, in turn, be collected by wholesalers and disposed of scientifically.