KMC to include schools in solid waste management campaigns

KOLKATA: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will involve schools in its campaigns on solid waste management (SWM) to make the citizens aware of the importance of segregation of solid wastes.

In Bengal, the municipal waste generation stands at 14,000 metric tonne per day while KMC alone handles 4,500 metric tonne per day.

Solid waste management is emerging as a serious issue and the Union Ministry of Forest & Environment has already envisaged the new SWM Rules 2016 that has categorised solid waste into six broad categories — industrial hazardous waste, healthcare or biomedical waste, solid waste that involves wastes from houses, schools and offices, plastic waste, electronic waste and construction or demolition waste.

"We are working hard to put effect to the new SWM Rules 2016. We are trying to treat solid waste under three categories — bio-degradable waste, recycle waste and inert waste. However, we alone cannot segregate waste unless citizens participate. We have decided to take the awareness drive in a big way by involving schoolchildren. Segregation at the source is necessary," a senior official of KMC's SWM department said.

The official pointed out that the lack of space for dumping waste is a serious issue. The dumping ground at Dhapa is getting exhausted. We have procured 20 acre of land from New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) at Chapna Mouza in Rajarhat. Fourteen acre of land will be used for dumping waste while 6 acre will be utilised for a waste-to-energy project," the official said.

However, the civic body's waste-to-energy project is stuck even after floating three tenders. "We are making some changes in the terms and conditions before going for the fourth tender," an official said.

Sources in the SWM department pointed out lack of funds and infrastructure for putting in place bins of different colours in the wards for segregating waste.

"We have seen that a person who dumps wastes in separate bins at the airport does not follow it at home or in other places. The waste from kitchen and plastic gets dumped in the same dustbin. Awareness needs to be taken up first," a top official of the state Pollution Control Board said.