The cost of handling Bengaluru's solid waste is set to rise.
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has planned to build three large transfer stations where the municipal waste collected by auto tippers from 8-10 wards will be shifted to compactors for processing or disposal.
While the facility is expected to eliminate roadside dumping points, such large stations, experts say, will shoot up the tertiary waste transport cost as auto tippers will have to unnecessarily travel an additional 10-15 km to transfer the garbage.
This is the first such proposal where each transfer station — consisting of equipment such as containers, hook loaders, weighing bridge, etc — will be able to handle 150 tonnes of waste on a daily basis. Bengaluru has at least 12 similar stations but they are much smaller in size and handle up to 25 tonnes of garbage a day. While a mini transfer station can serve a ward, the proposed large stations are aimed at covering an entire assembly constituency.
The BBMP feels large stations will reduce the secondary transport cost. "We are currently spending Rs 2-3 lakh per month on each compactor for disposing of the waste. Now, one compactor carries about 5-8 tonnes of garbage. When the new facility is up and running, we will be able to compress and load up to 16 tonnes of waste in one compactor. This will do away with the need for more compactors," a senior BBMP official said.
The BBMP operates 580 compactors for disposing of waste at landfill sites or waste-processing plants.
Experts volunteering for solid waste management are not happy with the BDA's new proposal.
"The large transfer stations will undo all the reforms introduced so far. Auto tippers that collect waste from a ward are able to make a second trip because the transfer point is close-by. Having large stations per constituency will force auto tippers to travel unnecessarily," said Sandhya Narayan, an SWM expert.
She wondered how the BBMP would find land for such large stations in the city when it hasn't been able to give smaller sites for building 50 mini transfer stations.
As per the tender documents, the BBMP plans to spend Rs 39.80 crore on capital expenditure and Rs 27 crore on their operation and maintenance (O&M) for seven years. The facility, officials said, will eliminate the need to transfer garbage, which is currently done on roadsides.
To a question, a BBMP official in charge of the project said auto tippers would be given only nearby wards, thereby reducing the distance they would cover.
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