Palike shifts sight from landfill sites

Six waste processing units to produce compressed gas

The BBMP, which had earlier identified new landfill sites to dispose of waste, has dumped the project. Instead, it is now focusing on installing new waste-processing plants across the City.

The Palike, in October 2012, had identified six new landfill sites for disposal of waste at Sunkadakatte, Challaghatta, Bagalur, Kallabalu, Yalachaguppe and Hindalawadi, following a High Court order. However, in order to reduce the use of land as dumping yards, the Palike has now decided to set up waste-processing plants at new sites.
The BBMP will set up the waste-processing plants on a public-private Partnership model at Subbarayanavala village near Tavarekere, Magadi Road, Mandur, Gundalahalli, Kudlu on Hosur Road, and Kannahalli.

“It will take at least a year to set up the plants as we need to survey the land; machines have to be bought and formalities have to be completed. Ideally, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) should have taken steps to identify places where waste-processing units could be installed. Since they did not show any interest, we did it,” said a BBMP official.

Noble Exchange Environment Solutions (NEX), a company working on waste management solutions, along with Bruhat Bangalore Hotel Association (BBHA), has signed a memorandum of understanding with the BBMP and procured land to set up the waste-processing units.

“We will complete setting up the waste-processing plants at Kudlu and Kannahalli, both five-acre land, in a year. Each plant will handle 250 tonnes of wet waste per day and turn it into compressed gas, which will later be supplied to hotels under BBHA in the City. We also intend to collect dry waste and recycle them,” said K S Girish Kumar, Regional Manager, NEX.

When BBMP spokesperson S S Khandre was contacted, he said the Palike was trying to avoid using landfills.

But the authorities might use the proposed landfill sites in future, if they are unable to handle the waste effectively and the City’s population grows threefold.