The KMC said that only 50 percent litter are compostable. Thirty-five percent are reusable and the rest 15 percent, basically consisting of pieces of glass, bricks, concrete and stones, will be dumped at landfill sites.[break]
An assembly of the KMC council in July decided to collect only segregated garbage and the KMC has said that it will implement the decision after the Dashain festival. The KMC said segregating the garbage at households can significantly reduce the quantity of garbage that needs to be dumped at landfill sites.
Such measures, however, will not be enforced in all areas of the metropolis at once. “In the first phase, we are planning to implement such measures in 10 wards of KMC,” Chief of the Environmental Department of KMC Shantaram Pokhrel said, adding, “We have to execute the decision of the council.” The KMC, however, has not yet decided on the wards to try the pilot project.
Pokhrel said that the KMC will make an agreement with the Reusable Materials Association for the collection of garbage from the households. "People can also make money from such reusable garbage by selling it," he added. The KMC will also send separate vehicles to collect reusable litter once a week.
Throwing garbage in the streets is also set to become a thing of past as the KMC has decided to act tough against the offenders. The KMC already has announced a fine of up to Rs 15,000 on those who throw litters on the streets but the regulation has not been enforced yet. According to an officer at the Environment Department of KMC, Rabinman Shrestha, the KMC will launch an awareness program before implementing the strict measures. “We will also take the representatives of the local clubs and members of different political parties into confidence before the full scale implementation of the program,” he added.
The KMC says that the office will also promote the use of compost bins at homes to process waste matters. The office has already decided to sell more than 2,000 household compost bins at a reduced price. The KMC has also decided to build community compost system at various locations of the metropolis this fiscal year.
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