By Feb-end, bulk generators must manage their garbage

Bulk generators of garbage in the City will have to segregate and manage the waste on their own by the end of February 2015. The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has decided to serve notices on all bulk generators in this regard.

Bulk generators are those that generate more than 10 kg of garbage every day or apartment complexes having more than 50 flats. The Palike will shortly serve notices on bulk generators, directing them to segregate and manage the waste in accordance with a direction issued by the High Court of Karnataka on December 5, 2014, a top official in the civic agency told Deccan Herald on Wednesday.

Bulk generators can have an on-site facility or tie up with a private contractor to manage the waste effectively. The Palike has published on its official website a list of contractors who have a tie-up with it and to whom the bulk generators can hand over the waste.

15K bulk generators

According to the official, the Palike has identified nearly 15,000 bulk generators and classified them into 15 groups. The BBMP would mainly concentrate on marriage halls, restaurants, hotels and malls. “The bulk generators contribute at least 35 per cent of the total waste generated in Bengaluru,” the official explained. “Getting them to segregate and manage the waste would considerably lessen the garbage crisis.”

Even a month ago, the Palike had served individual notices on 3,500 bulk generators who did not comply to the new regulations. The first notice asked the bulk generators to give details about the quantity of the waste they generate and the measures they have taken to segregate and manage the same.

“Not even one per cent of them reported back with the compliance,” the official added.
The move has agitated apartment complexes which say they have no qualms about segregating the waste but managing it would be difficult given the space constraint, high cost of maintenance and lack of technological expertise.