Environment

Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) Mayor Balendra Shah has been going door-to-door, urging city-dwellers to start separating garbage at home starting July 17 (Shrawan 1). One week on, little progress has been made with only a handful of households heeding KMC’s request.

Yet the rapper-turned-mayor hasn’t given up. His door-to-door campaign continues so that residents change their ways and the garbage is better managed, or even recycled and reused. 

We asked Kathmanduites living in different corners of the city what kind of difficulties they were facing – in separating biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes, and what solutions they wanted to offer, if any.

Jeet Bahadur Mahara, KMC-32, Pepsicola  

I live in a rented room. Waste separation should not be a big deal as we don’t generate much garbage except vegetable peels, some food wastes and a few plastics. After the KMC’s decision, we have been using two separate bins, but I don’t think other people living in my building are practicing that. People should be conscious as garbage is a huge problem in the city. We see garbage being dumped everywhere and they remain littered and uncollected for weeks. If KMC is trying something as a solution for garbage management then we must help it.

I think they should start a public awareness campaign to educate people about garbage and list out what are biodegradable and what are non-degradable ones. It needs to visit all areas and educate people. Also, it can make digital pamphlets and banners and post them on social media to make people more aware. Though a lot of elderly people do not use social media, the younger ones can help them. Also the city must collect garbage on a regular basis.

Prabha Dawadi, KMC-8, Jaya-Bageshwori

People have been complaining that garbage is not being collected on time. It is a privilege for me to live in an area near Pashupati temple as the waste is collected here every day.  Earlier, I used to collect the household waste in a single bin. Though I had a separate bin on my rooftop to make compost for the plants that I have, I used it once in a while only when I was in need of the compost.

After the recent decisions I have started segregating my household waste in two different bins. I am collecting the non-degradable waste in a bin without a lid but am keeping the degradable waste in a bin with a container. I think KMC should help us make our own compost manure as there are a lot of people in my neighbourhood who have started rooftop gardening. If the metropolis can teach us techniques or give us some handy machines, it will be fruitful. Machines for each household is impossible but maybe it can be given to a group in each community.

Anupa Dawadi, KMC-32, Koteshwor

After the decision, I have started using two bins for the purpose, and have taught both of my children to put the biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes in separate bins. The seven-year-old and the four-year-old might get confused but I am helping them to keep the waste they generate such as dust from pencil sharpening, paper wastes et cetera. I have also instructed other of my family members to keep the waste in separate bins. If the people in Kathmandu separate the waste and if the metropolitan can generate compost as said, then it will eventually be fruitful for the people who are into agriculture as there is an acute shortage of the compost.

The community dogs are often seen tearing plastics and scattering wastes on the road. I think people should sell or exchange the papers, old books and newspapers and iron with the vendors who are often moving around. The garbage collectors in my area are collecting the mixed garbage these days. The schedules to collect degradable and non-degradable waste must be strictly followed and garbage collection should be done on time.  

Amita Sharma, KMC-31, Milanchok Baneshwor

If the KMC can give separate bins for segregation of the waste and collect them separately it will be more effective. They must not collect the mixed garbage. The metropolitan might cite lack of sufficient funds for the bins but it can charge half the amount from the house owners. We are ready to pay for it. Though the decision came, I am still confused about what to do with the garbage that has not been collected for a month in my locality. It has already started stinking and I can’t even segregate them now.

The decision of the KMC is optimistic but can it continue? I doubt it. Also the garbage should be collected on the scheduled time. There should not be any excuse for not collecting garbage. The KMC is charging us every month for collecting garbage but why can’t we choose not to pay to the KMC when the garbage is not collected?  The KMC should, I think, give proper information listing the degradable and non-degradable items and circulate to the public because sometimes I get confused which items are degradable and which are not and there might be many people confused like me.

Pabitra Pandey, currently residing in KMC- 4, Baluwatar

It has already been two months that the garbage collectors in my locality are collecting the segregated wastes. While collecting the garbage, the waste collectors instructed us to separate the waste. When the waste was mixed they did not take it. Therefore the people in the locality were compelled to segregate their waste.

The owner of my house didn’t tell me anything about segregating the waste. As the garbage collectors instructed us we started following the practice of segregating the waste. There was not much confusion on separating the waste. I think the people who have spaces to decompose the waste can use that area to decompose the degradable waste. But we tenants do not have that option. The non-degradable waste can be managed for some time by keeping them in plastics as they don’t stink but the degradable waste should be regularly collected and managed.