A new Bengaluru waste collection system covering 21 of the city’s 33 collection packages is expected to begin within two months, with GPS-enabled three-tonne vehicles replacing one-tonne auto-tippers and doorstep collection planned across all 28 assembly constituencies.
The Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Ltd (BSWML) has received government approval for 21 packages, while the process of issuing work orders to contractors is under way. Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said the contractors had been directed to commence operations within two months.
The proposed system has been designed around the city’s increased waste-handling capacity, which has risen from 5,200 metric tonnes to 9,000 metric tonnes, according to the minister. The larger vehicles will be assigned designated routes and required to follow them daily.
“ 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.
GPS tracking will be mandatory for all waste-collection vehicles under the proposed arrangement. The system is intended to allow authorities to monitor whether vehicles are covering their assigned routes. The contracts cover all 28 assembly constituencies through 33 packages, with 21 packages having received approval so far.
The BSWML will not restore roadside garbage bins under the new system. Byre Gowda said the decision was intended to prevent the creation of garbage black spots. Instead, waste is to be collected from every household at its doorstep.
Residents who cannot hand over waste when a collection vehicle arrives will be allowed to leave a waste bag on their compound wall or grille, which collection staff will collect, the minister said. He appealed to citizens not to dump waste on roads or in public spaces and asked them to cooperate with the proposed collection system.
The waste collection announcement came during a wider meeting on civic issues in Bengaluru. Elected representatives raised concerns relating to roads, footpaths, street lighting, parks, water supply and other infrastructure. They also sought a white paper on expenditure on pothole filling, improved restoration of roads dug up by the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, action against illegal flexes and posters, better maintenance of Greater Bengaluru Authority-run schools and parks, and the filling of vacancies among civic workers.
Other issues discussed included the proposed Banashankari Metro skywalk, the Jalahalli Cross underpass, a stalled flyover project near RR Nagar Arch, the drone-based property survey, stray dogs and illegal commercial activity in building basements.
The meeting was attended by MPs, MLAs, a Rajya Sabha member and senior officials from several departments. The next stated milestone for the waste collection overhaul is the issuing of work orders and the start of operations by the approved contractors within two months.
