Where have all the dustbins gone?

Piles of garbage dumped at every nook and corner of the City have become a common sight. But now, as the BBMP is geared up to clean up their act, many Bangaloreans feel that this drive will only be a temporary solution. When the pourakarmikas went on strike, residents did not know how to dispose of the garbage. With nobody available to collect the waste, many went in search of  public dustbins in their locality, only to realise that the dustbins are missing.

Residents in the City tell Metrolife that there is a need for more dustbins. Ask the BBMP about it and they claim that the dustbins were removed from many areas as they were not being used. “People never really threw the waste inside the bins. Many a time, one would find waste strewn all around the bin, which led to many complications,” says an official from the BBMP.

But that’s not what people feel. Pallavi Mohanraju, a professional, says that there is an urgent need for those big cement rings, that used to be there earlier in every locality.

“The pourakarmikas come early in the morning to collect the waste. And in case one hasn’t kept the waste out by then, there is no other alternative to dispose of the waste till the next day. Dustbins make a big difference. At least it allows people to properly dispose of their waste,” she adds.

Apart from residential areas, many feel that one must have more dustbins in commercial areas as well. Namita, a student, says that she has not seen any dustbins either on Brigade Road or Commercial Street.

 She is left with no choice but to either carry the waste with her till she reaches home or throw it on the streets like everybody else. “How can one expect the City to be clean when there are no dustbins around? Everybody talks about people’s attitude when it comes to disposing of the waste, but when the basic facility is not there, how can they expect people to change?” she asks.

The City has many not-for-profit organisations that strive in keeping the City clean. One such team of youngsters is ‘Ecofreaks’, which aims to see a cleaner and a more salubrious locality. They do this through their cleaning drives and by educating people about the importance of a cleaner locality and help people in maintaining the same.  
Vasudha, co-founder of ‘Ecofreaks’, says that when they went on a drive to install dustbins in the City, the team found many hurdles along the way.

 “It is absolutely impossible to install or even keep a dustbin in the City without the required permission. Which is why we could only distribute dustbins inside shops. There is definitely a need for more dustbins. It is not that the people will start using a dustbin as soon as they see one, the change will happen in due time,” she says.