The Hindu Business Line : Subsidise urban compost plants, expert tells govts

THE 4,378 municipalities in the country should adopt a modern seven-point solid waste disposal system and the Union Government should also think of subsidising compost to encourage entrepreneurs to set up more compost plants, said Mr P.U. Asnani, an urban environmental infrastructural adviser.

He was speaking at a press meet here on Tuesday, after participating in a one-day workshop organised by the Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation.

Mr Asnani, who is also a consultant for United States Agency for International Development and a member of the Expert Committee appointed by the Supreme Court on the urban solid waste disposal systems, said that the committee was thinking of suggesting to the Union Government introduction of subsidy on compost.

"The private entrepreneurs should be encouraged to set up compost plants in the municipalities. The cost of manufacturing compost would be in the range of Rs 600-1,000 per tonne and the selling price around Rs 2,000. The margin is pretty good and there is great demand for organic manure. The Government should also offer subsidy as an additional incentive," he said.

He said the seven-point plan consisted of storage of waste at source (in two separate bins in each household), door-to-door garbage collection, sweeping of the streets on all days, abolition of open concrete cement bins, dispensing with manual loading of waste, construction of transfer stations and processing (recycling and disposal) of waste.

He said the municipalities could rope in the NGOs or even hire private contractors for garbage collection, as it would not take more than Rs 10-15 per household per month. "It can be implemented even in the smaller municipalities. Citizens won't grudge the small amount and in slums, community bins can be arranged. For the slum-dwellers, the municipalities should cross-subsidise the collection charges," he said.

After educating the public and putting in place the above systems, he said, the municipalities should impose a ban on throwing waste on the streets. "At present, the municipalities are not authorised by law to impose such fines, but the relevant act should be amended in due course to facilitate imposition of such fines," he said.

He said that of the 4,378 municipalities in the country, 423 were classified as Class A cities having more than a lakh population. "Our endeavour is to put in place these systems in the Class A cities and later in all the others," he said.

Referring to Visakhapatnam, he said a Rs 15.18-crore project had been prepared for the purpose and it would be implemented.

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