The waste generation in City has come down from 4,000 tonnes a day to 3,600 tonnes thanks to hoteliers who are disposing the waste themselves.
The BBMP took everyone by surprise when it submitted before the Karnataka High Court that the waste generation was 3,600 tonnes a day. Earlier, it had claimed that the waste generation was somewhere between 4,000 tonnes and 4,400 tonnes a day.
Ananthaswamy, Chief Engineer, BBMP (Solid Waste Management) said the average waste generation had come down to 3,600 tonnes because of a series of measures taken by the Palike for scientific disposal of the waste.
He said the hoteliers had contributed immensely in reducing the waste generation as they had started disposing of the waste at their own level, instead of depending on the BBMP.
“Earlier they were generating about 800 tonnes of waste a day, but now it is reduced by 50 per cent,” said Ananthaswamy.
Correct figures
While ruling out the allegations that the Palike had been giving exaggerated figures all these years, he said the waste generation had shot up from 4,000 tonnes to 4,400 tonnes a day during festivals.
The commendation by the Palike officers came like a shot in the arm for the hoteliers as they were under immense pressure to reduce the waste generation given the fact that they were rated as bulk generators.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, Hotel Owners' Association president Chandrashekhar Hebbar said the hotel owners found themselves at the receiving end when the garbage crisis was at its peak. He said even today, there are people who accuse them of throwing wet waste into the drains.
“There can be some people who may be throwing waste into the drain, but a majority of them are managing their waste well. We are segregating waste and handing it over to the BBMP, which in turn sends it to the Terra Firma waste management site,” he said.
Some private firms have come up with waste to energy proposals and are waiting for the BBMP to provide them land. Whatever the proposals are, we the hoteliers are always there to extend our full co-operation to the BBMP, Hebbar said.