A new Bengaluru waste collection system covering 21 of the city’s 33 waste-management packages is expected to begin within two months, with larger GPS-enabled vehicles and doorstep pickup planned across all 28 assembly constituencies.
The Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Ltd (BSWML) has received government approval for 21 packages, while work orders are being issued to contractors. Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said contractors had been directed to commence operations within two months.
The new system will replace the existing one-tonne auto-tippers with three-tonne vehicles. Each vehicle will be assigned a designated route and will be required to follow it daily. GPS tracking will be mandatory, allowing authorities to monitor whether vehicles cover their assigned routes.
The overhaul has been planned against an increase in the city’s waste-handling capacity from 5,200 metric tonnes to 9,000 metric tonnes. According to Byre Gowda, the system is intended to ensure that the waste generated by residents is collected and transported for disposal.
“The system is being designed to ensure that whatever quantity of waste is generated by citizens is properly collected and transported for disposal,” Byre Gowda said after a meeting with MPs, MLAs and MLCs on development and civic issues under the Greater Bengaluru Authority at Vidhana Soudha.
The minister said the BSWML would not restore roadside garbage bins under the proposed arrangement. The authority has said roadside bins could contribute to the formation of garbage black spots.
Instead, waste is to be collected from every household at the doorstep. Residents who are unable to hand over waste when a collection vehicle arrives will be allowed to leave a bag on their compound wall or grille for collection staff to pick up, Byre Gowda said.
He appealed to residents not to dump waste on roads or in public spaces and asked them to cooperate with the new collection system. The announcement did not specify the names of the contractors, the package-wise commencement schedule or the operating details for areas where approvals are still pending.
The waste-collection announcement was made during a wider meeting on civic infrastructure and administration. Elected representatives also raised issues involving roads, footpaths, street lighting, parks, water supply and civic-worker vacancies. Other demands included a white paper on pothole-filling expenditure, better restoration of roads excavated by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, improved maintenance of parks and action against illegal flexes and posters.
Representatives also sought faster progress on projects including the Banashankari Metro skywalk, the Jalahalli Cross underpass and a stalled flyover near RR Nagar Arch. Issues involving a drone-based property survey, stray dogs and illegal commercial activity in building basements were also discussed.
The next stated step in the waste-collection process is the issue of work orders and the start of operations by approved contractors within two months.
