How Bengaluru is targeting 100% segregation of waste by December 2019: BBMP’s new SWM bye-laws

With its new draft bye-laws on solid waste management (SWM), BBMP is aiming for 100% waste segregation and minimal use of landfills. The bye-laws mandate waste segregation into eight streams, steep penalties for offenders, and greater role for ward committees in SWM

BBMP has, for the first time, drafted bye-laws on Solid Waste Management (SWM). Aiming towards complete waste segregation, the bye-laws define eight different streams of waste – wet, dry, sanitary, non-recyclable, non-biodegradable, domestic hazardous, construction and demolition waste, and slaughterhouse waste. It defines specific strategies for processing each of these.

The draft bye-laws also prescribe steep penalties for offences such as burning or not segregating waste, for violating the plastic ban, and so on. D Randeep, BBMP Additional Commissioner (SWM), says the penalties have been increased by five times.

The bye-laws also have new provisions such as door-to-door collection of e-waste, and the option to use BBMP’s SWM services at public gatherings. It gives ward committees greater role in the preparation of ward-wise SWM plans, and has provisions for welfare of pourakarmikas.

Randeep says the bye-laws would soon be sent to the state Urban Development Department for gazette notification. “Currently the draft is being translated to Kannada. Once the translation is completed, both the English and Kannada versions would be sent to the UDD for notification,” he says.

After the notification, the public would have 30 days to file their objections and suggestions on the draft. BBMP Council is supposed to discuss and incorporate valid suggestions into the draft. Once this revised draft is approved and notified by the UDD, the bye-laws would come into force.

Road map and vision

In July, the BBMP released the city’s ‘Solid waste management road map and vision’ that aims to achieve:

  • 100 percent door-to-door collection of waste
  • 100 percent segregation of waste by December 2019
  • Only 13-15 percent of the collected waste going to landfills
  • Zero tolerance for plastic use and garbage black spots

Framing SWM bye-laws was among the strategies of the BBMP to achieve these goals.

What do the draft bye-laws say?

Collection, transportation, processing and disposal of solid waste:

  • Waste generators have to segregate solid waste at source, into the following categories:
      1. Wet waste (bio-degradable)
      2. Dry waste (non-biodegradable)
      3. Domestic hazardous waste (includes sanitary napkins, diapers, tampons)
      4. Construction and demolition waste
      5. Garden and horticulture waste
      6. E-waste
  • You should not put waste in plastic garbage liner bags for handing over to BBMP/service providers. Only receptacles/bins should be used, and only bin-to-bin transfer is allowed.
  • Colour of the bins should be:
      1. Green for bio-degradable/wet waste
      2. Blue for non-biodegradable/dry waste
      3. Red for domestic hazardous and sanitary waste
  • You can also deposit segregated waste in designated collection points/Kasa kiosks.
  • BBMP will collect e-waste door-to-door, at least once every two weeks. You have to pay for this service based on the weight of the waste. Currently you can only deposit e-waste at specific drop-off points.
  • Poultry, fish, meat and slaughter waste from commercial establishments should be stored fully-closed, in hygienic condition. BBMP should designate closed-container bins and vehicles for primary collection and secondary transportation of such waste. The waste generator should pay a user fee for this, depending on the quantity of waste.
  • Market association or shop owners should compulsorily install segregated waste bins in commercial areas.
  • Construction and demolition waste should be stored within the premises of the owner/occupier. If such waste needs to be storied in public spaces, permission should be taken.
  • BBMP will take up door-to-door collection of certain categories of segregated solid waste (such as bulky waste from individual houses), on payment of service charges. The service charges for different categories are mentioned towards the end of this article.
  • BBMP will specify at least one day a week for door-to-door collection of bulky waste – that is, waste more than 10 kgs per day – as well as bulk horticulture and garden waste.
  • Eco-friendly options like battery-operated/electric vehicles for door-to-door waste collection and transportation. There will be one e-vehicle in each ward in the short term.
  • GPS tagging of vehicles, and biometric attendance for all waste collectors, will be mandatory. BBMP will also monitor this remotely through a Central Smart Data Centre.
  • New buildings with more than 50 dwelling units, or area exceeding 5000 square metres, should have suitable space for waste collection and on-site processing.
  • Waste generators who do not use the services of BBMP have to submit an annual report on the amount of waste generated, segregated and processed in their premises.
  • BBMP to set up processing facilities like composting and bio-methanation in fruit and vegetable markets that generate over 100 kgs of wet waste daily.
  • In-situ processing facilities and small-scale bio-methanation plants to be set up in parks and gardens
  • Composting processes approved by the state/central pollution control board – such as vermin-composting, anaerobic digestion, bio methanation etc – will be encouraged at all levels.
  • BBMP will analyse all old and operational dumpsites, and take up biomining and bioremediation where feasible.

Steep penalties for offenders

  • Here are the penalties you’d have to pay once the draft bye-laws come into effect
Offence Penalty for first offence (In Rs) Penalty for second and subsequent offences (In Rs)
Littering, spitting, openly urinating/defecating, or committing other acts of public nuisance 500 1000
Failure to segregate or handover solid waste as per the bye-laws
(i) By domestic waste generators (excluding bulk waste generators)
(ii) By waste collector (including SWM officials) who collects mixed waste, or mixes different streams of waste and transports it
(i) 500

(i) 1000

(i) 1000

(ii) 2000

Failure to segregate waste according to bye-laws /littering/handing over waste to unauthorised waste collectors by
(i) small commercial establishments
(ii) bulk waste generators
(iii) waste collector (including SWM officials) who collects mixed waste, or mixes different streams of waste and transports it
(i) 1000

(ii) 2500

(iii) 2500

(i) 2000

(ii) 5000

(iii) 5000

Failure to store/deliver construction and demolition waste in a segregated manner, or dumping construction and demolition waste 5000/tonne 10000/tonne
Disposal of solid waste by burning, dumping or unauthorised burial by any waste generator (excluding commercial/bulk waste generators) 5000
Disposal of solid waste by burning, dumping or unauthorised burial by a commercial/bulk waste generator 25,000
Failure to deliver (non-household) fish, poultry and slaughterhouse waste in a segregated manner to the waste collector OR dumping these in a community bin, receptacle, public place 1000 2000
For a street vendor without a wastebasket or who do not deliver segregated solid waste 300 500
Issuance of false self-declaration to avoid being classified as a bulk waste generator 10,000
Failure to comply with any lawful directions issued by the Commissioner to ensure cleanliness and hygiene at public utilities like road, bus station, railway station, park etc 500 1000
Irregular deposit of rubbish, filth or any other solid matter 500 1000
Vacant sites left unattended in a filthy and unhygienic manner by owner, heading to a public health hazard 25,000 Ranging from 50,000 to 1,00,000
Enforcement of plastic ban
Trading, retailing, selling banned plastic items 50,000 1,00,000
Users of banned plastic items
a) Commercial user 25,000 50,000
b) Domestic user 500 1000

Welfare of pourakarmikas, integrating the formal and informal SWM sectors

  • BBMP has to comply with all labour and welfare regulations, offer regular medical check-ups and protective gear to pourakarmikas. Adequate monetary compensation should be given in case of a pourakarmika’s injury or death. If he/she is employed by a garbage contractor, these would be the contractor’s responsibility.
  • Waste pickers, traders and other informal sector players should be supported to upgrade their work conditions, and be integrated into the formal SWM system. They would be given ID cards, formal training etc.

Littering and public nuisance

  • BBMP to provide and maintain suitable community bins and Kasa Kiosks in public spaces.
  • Nuisance detectors from BBMP would have the power to levy spot fines against littering.
  • SWM marshals and an SWM nodal officer to be deployed in every ward. SWM Marshals – ideally ex-servicemen – keep vigil on waste dumping, public urination etc, and are authorised to penalise offenders. SWM nodal officer – not lower in rank than an Assistant Executive Engineer – will liaison with BBMP on ward-level SWM issues.

Events and public gatherings

  • Organisers of public events with over 100 people should ensure waste segregation at source, and hand over the segregated waste to BBMP no later than 12 hours after completion of the event.
  • Organisers should pay a cleanliness deposit which will be refunded after the event, if the concerned authority is satisfied. If the space is not clean within 12 hours of the event, the deposit will be forfeited.
  • Organisers can avail BBMP’s SWM services on paying service charges in advance

Ward committees and Shuchi Mithras

  • Ward committees will review the SWM action plan of their respective wards. They should take steps to comply with the recommendations in BBMP reports, identify land for processing and other in-situ facilities, and ensure visual cleanliness.
  • Shuchi Mithras are volunteers who will prepare regular reports about the implementation of SWM rules in their ward, monitor cleanliness, suggest bin placement, and so on. They can submit their reports to the ward committee, which will be forwarded to the BBMP’s grievance redressal system if necessary. But they are not empowered to implement or enforce the bye-laws.

Cess and Service charge

  • Waste Generators should mandatorily pay SWM cess to BBMP for services of waste collection, transportation, processing and disposal. This cess will be payable as part of the property tax collected annually by BBMP.
Type of waste generators SWM Cess (In Rs per month)
Residential buildings
Plinth area up to 1000 sq ft 10
1001 sq ft to 3000 sq ft 30
Above 3000 sq ft 50
Commercial buildings
Up to 1000 sq ft 50
From 1001 sq ft to 5000 sq ft 100
Above 5000 sq ft 200
Industrial Buildings  
Up to 1000 sq ft 100
From 1001 sq ft to 5000 sq ft 200
Above 5000 sq ft 300
Hotels, Kalyana Mantapas, health care establishments  
Up to 10,000 sq ft 300
From 10,001 sq ft to 50,000 sq ft 500
Above 50,000 sq ft 600
  • The SWM service charge will be increased by 5 percent every year, with effect from April 1st of each year. If the service charge is not paid within three months of BBMP raising the demand, a surcharge of 2 percent will be levied per month.
Type of waste generators SWM Service charges per month (In Rs)
Vacant sites
Vacant sites 0.20/sqft
Commercial Businesses
Restaurants/Hotels/ Dabhas
a) up to 50 seats 500
b) more than 50 seats 750
Mess, Canteen, Mobile Canteen 250
Bakery 300
Coffee/Tea/Sweet stall 100
Fast food 200
Street vendors (All types) 50
Community halls including marriage halls 1000
Guesthouses/Lodges 750
Wine/Liquor shops
a) Rental 300
b) Wholesale 500
Pubs, Bars, Restaurants and Clubs 750
Meat stalls 500
Textile shops 150
Hospital/Nursing homes
a) up to 50 seats 400
b) more than 50 seats 800
Medical store 200
Cinema theatre 500
Vehicle showrooms 1000
Service stations 500
Vegetable shop 500
Flower shop 250
Coconut stall 400
General store 50
Wholesale supermarket 500
Flour mills 250
Ice cream parlours 400
Hostels 600
Paying Guest
a) up to 25 beds 400
b) More than 25 beds 800
Shops and commercial establishments including banks, technological parks, corporate offices, educational institutions shopping arenas, malls and financial institutions
a) having a built-up area up to 1000 sqft 600
b) having a built-up area from 1001 sqft to 5000 sqft 1200
c) having built-up area more than 5000 sqft 2500
Exhibitions, Entertainment programmes conducted temporarily at marriage halls, community halls, hotels, under-construction
sites, open places, market area etc
a) up to one week 1500
b) more than one week and less than one month 3000
c) more than one month 6000

 

Comments:

  1. Naresh Sadasivan says:

    While I am all for segregation & disposal/management of waste in a responsible manner, I do not see BBMP putting its collective heads together to put out an implementation plan – in a city of 13 million people, things don’t happen suddenly on a given day, or at the crack of a whip. Rollout can be successful only if things happen in phases, or maybe specific target sectors, and then progressively scale. And there is no consequence model in place….not for citizens who will end up paying fines, but for BBMP and its officers themselves, who either are quite uneducated about it, or do not have the resources & commitment to make it work. As always, I am always suspicious of BBMP’s efficiency; they have not provided sufficient reason to believe they are competent in anything they do.

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