Faced with this mounting issue, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is now urging citizens to take responsibility for their waste. "Residents must segregate and manage their waste, whether in large apartments, residential complexes, or individual homes, as there is little more we can do," said Basavaraj Kabade, BBMP's Chief Engineer of Solid Waste Management. The city currently generates 6,000 metric tonnes (MT) of waste daily.

Of this, 2,500 to 3,000 MT is sent to the Mitiganahalli landfill, Bengaluru's only landfill site. Despite having seven waste processing units, most are non-functional due to technical failures and public protests. The BBMP had hoped that the upcoming waste-to-energy plant in Bidadi, an 11.5 MW facility, would help alleviate the situation. The energy department has also installed a 370-MW liquefied natural gas-based power plant in Yelahanka, which, along with the Bidadi plant, is set to start supplying power to the grid in early September.

However, the Bidadi plant will only process segregated dry waste and requires 600 tonnes daily when fully operational. "The plant will operate at 75% of its capacity," an official said. Yet, an energy department official noted, "These two units won't solve the waste problem as expected because the waste generated far exceeds what these plants can handle. Additionally, there are no plans to expand or establish new plants."

In recent years, five legacy waste processing units have shut down. The BBMP's earlier initiative to convert landfills into tree parks has also seen limited success, with only the Bagalur landfill successfully transformed into a park. Biomining is ongoing at the Mandur landfill, but only 5 lakh metric tonnes of the 23 lakh metric tonnes of accumulated waste have been removed so far. The government had also proposed setting up four additional waste processing units on the city's outskirts, but progress has stalled. (New Indian Express)