Trash talk: Where is our construction debris going?

Processing units are barely receiving them. Waste management organisations say they are being illegally dumped in the open. BBMP says they are penalising defaulters

The ongoing demolition drive at encroachments on stormwater drains has turned the spotlight on the waste that is left behind. Concrete, stone, bricks lying in the open are already an eyesore in the city, also an obstruction to mobility.

Pinky Chandran, a member of Solid Waste Management Round Table (SWMRT), asks: “Who is responsible to transfer that (to processing plants)? What’s the time frame? What happens when the waste is not transferred in the stipulated time? What air pollution measures are being put in place?”

According to a former Solid Waste Management (SWM) official, Bengaluru generates 2,000 to 2,500 tonnes of construction and demolition (C&D) waste every day. Currently, the debris is sent to units in Chikkajala, Jigani, and Kannur for further processing.

The law says the C&D waste generator is responsible for the removal/transport/disposal of the waste, in segregated manner, at their own cost and as per an approved plan. But Pinky says neither has “the C&D waste collection (in the city) been streamlined yet ” nor do we have “aggregation centres that can cater to four or five wards.”

She says awareness about C&D waste recycling is also lacking. The waste is recycled for low-grade uses under footpaths and subways, as fillers around the basement, or below tiles.

Speaking anonymously, a C&D waste recycler said his units receive “less than 5% C&D waste” than their combined daily processing capacity of 1,750 tonnes. “The construction of BMRCL airport line is happening a few kilometres away yet no load has come to me,”he claims.

The waste generators dump the C&D waste on open sites, lake beds, under flyovers and roads at night or early hours to save the cost of transporting them to far-off processing units. He suspects debris dumping as one of the causes of floods that submerged parts of East Bengaluru recently. “You can’t build houses on water bodies or rajakaluves unless you fill them up with debris,” he surmises.

Likewise, a senior BBMP official from Mahadevapura zone, said, “The Kannur plant is the closest to our zone. It can process 750 tonnes per day but barely any C&D waste is deposited there.” He points out that the C&D waste generated in the ongoing demolitions “is not a lot as we are just breaking compound walls and stones”.

Chitra Vishwanath of Biome Environmental Solutions has observed that the city is not recycling its C&D waste enough — “maybe 20%”. “We need to incentivise people and businesses to give their C&D waste for recycling on the lines of the established kabadiwala chain,” she says. Though a few big builders are repurposing the C&D waste at the site itself, Metrolife has learnt.

“C&D waste recycling units should be a part of the city planning. A city then becomes a quarry you can source materials from instead of bringing it from far away,” explains the senior architect.

Col Rajbir Singh, chief marshal, BBMP, says they have been penalising defaulters but many escape by operating clandestinely and systematically.
Between September 2019 and 2022, they have collected over Rs 11.7 lakh in fines — maximum from RR Nagar (69 cases, Rs 7.6 lakh) followed by Yelahanka (37 cases, Rs 1.35 lakh) and Mahadevapura (33 cases, Rs 1.12 lakh).

Meanwhile, in the city...

For legacy C&D waste

Harish Kumar, special commissioner for Solid Waste Management, BBMP, said a tender for one-time clearance of legacy C&D waste — lying around
in the city for years — has been finalised and Rs 23 crore has been earmarked.

An executive engineer at Bangalore Solid Waste Management Limited told us they have identified around 2.94 lakh cubic meter of legacy C&D waste on 150 roads they surveyed.

“We want to have secondary/intermediary transfer station in each zone, so waste generators in south (Bengaluru) don’t need to travel to the east,” Harish informed about the facilities, where businesses and citizens would be able to deposit their C&D waste, which would later be sent to main processing plants located on the outskirts in bulk quantities.

This, Harish hopes, would address the massive cost incurred in transporting the C&D waste far off and reduce the corresponding vehicular pollution.

However, finding five to 10 acres of land for setting up the intermediary transfer stations closer to the city is a challenge, he says. Also, loading, unloading and transport of C&D waste must be done in a closed environment as they release plumes of dust, he adds.

A command center, an app and GPS tracker on vehicles are other plans to ensure that the C&D waste goes to the nearest transfer and processing plant.

For non-bulk generators

Saahas, a city-based waste management NGO, is running an initiative for non-bulk C&D waste generators (20 tonnes or less), focussed on renovations and remodeling of homes. Called Circular Realty, the aim is to create awareness about the recycling prospects of C&D waste and provide collection options.

Rakhi Anil, programme manager, shares, “Of the 10 tonnes we have collected since May, we have sent five tonnes for further processing, doors and kitchen cabinets to a person who wanted to reuse them, and other wood waste to recyclers. We get a lot of tiles and commodes but there are no end destinations as of now.”