DH Bengaluru 2040 Summit | Citizen participation key to effective waste management in city, says panel

Bengaluru: The key takeaway from the ‘Cleaning up Bengaluru for the future’ panel at the DH Bengaluru 2040 Summit was citizen participation for successful waste management in the city.

The panel featured co-founder of Hasiru Dala Nalini Shekhar, Malleshwaram MLA and former DCM C N Ashwath Narayan, BBMP Special Commissioner for Forests, Environment, and Climate Change and Head of the Climate Action Cell Preeti Gehlot and was moderated by director of Gubbi Labs H S Sudhira.

Waste management remains a pressing issue in Bengaluru, as highlighted by experts in a recent panel discussion. While the city has taken significant steps toward sustainability, challenges in waste disposal, citizen participation, and policy implementation persist.

Gehlot emphasized the city's roadmap to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Solid waste management is unique as it’s not just done by the government; it requires the participation of the entire city, she said. She pointed out that the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has called for tenders to manage waste efficiently, is acquiring electric vehicles, and is training workers in the informal sector for more effective waste management.

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Bengaluru is the third city in India to develop a climate action plan. “We have identified seven sectors, including waste management, air quality, and disaster management, with 266 actions to reduce emissions to net zero by 2070,” Gehlot added.

However, Ashwath Narayan criticized the current state of waste management. “There are plenty of black spots. The BBMP is completely isolated, and collaboration is lacking,” he stated. He stressed the importance of adopting a circular economy approach, where waste is treated as a resource. “We should address this issue non-politically. Cleaning up the city is a shared responsibility, and BBMP must take the lead,” Narayan said.

Nalini Shekar, an expert on recycling, highlighted Bengaluru's strengths, noting that the city has the highest recycling rates in India, processing 3,500 tonnes of plastic daily. She also emphasised that citizen participation along with the involvement of leadership is key for successful waste management.

However, she pointed out inefficiencies. “We have failed to scale up initiatives. The collection system in commercial areas needs to be strengthened, and large-scale processing must begin,” she said.