Segregate waste, don’t blame BBMP: NGT tells people

The National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) state-level committee on Monday warned that residents failing to segregate waste would be fined while noting that blaming the BBMP for the garbage menace will not solve the problem.

Chairman of the committee Subhash B Adi was speaking at a hearing on solid waste management organised by BBMP East Zone.

“Every day 5,600 tonnes of garbage is generated in the city. The Palike has spent Rs 821 crore on collection and transportation of solid waste. Compared to last year, the expenditure has gone up by Rs 100 crore. Including the wages of sanitation workers, the expenditure crosses Rs 1,000 crore. But only 23% of the garbage is segregated,” he said.

He said the mixture of wet waste with other materials has led to several issues at the landfill sites.

“This has also impacted the health of the people from that region. Who is responsible for this? Blaming the BBMP will not help. The public should take a proactive role, and public representatives should understand their responsibility,” he said.

‘Violators must be fined’

Noting that the Centre formulated rules on solid waste management in 2916, he emphasised the need for composting wet waste at home.

“If that is not possible, segregate the waste and hand it over to the collectors. Those who fail to do this will be fined,” he warned.

He suggested BBMP officials enforce strict segregation rules and impose fines on defaulters.

The waste of each ward should be composted within its limits, he advised.