Kathmandu, August 8

Starting mid of August, Kathmandu Valley will attempt to start managing part of its growing waste problem in the Valley itself.

The first phase of decomposable waste management will start from Kirtipur for which around 50 ropanis of land has been acquired. There, around 40,000 kg of organic waste can now be managed to produce fertilisers at that location. The fertilisers will then be sold for revenue generation.

At present, waste produced by eight wards is already being managed in Kirtipur.

Due to frequent problems in transporting all types of waste to the Sisdol landfill, new places around the valley are being identified for effective long-term disposal of the waste.

Potential places are being searched for in Chandragiri, Dakshinkali, Nagarjuna, Tarakeshwar and beyond the valley till Banepa.

Meanwhile, Kathmandu Metropolitan City is also looking to regulate private waste collectors citing that they are operating rampantly in the KMC wards.

It is alleged that the private sector is only engaged in collecting money and is not responsible when it comes to waste management. KMC has warned private companies that they will now be penalised or charged for not doing their job properly and managing waste regularly as promised.

Lalitpur Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Chiribabu Maharjan expressed that waste should be managed locally where it is produced. The federal government should also pay attention to this, he adds.

According to him, the classification of waste should also be clear in the law including how to dispose of different types of waste like glass, plastic, iron, hospital waste and decomposable waste. It should also clarify the roles of the different levels of government and government bodies.