KATHMANDU: The Kathmandu Metropolitan City is doing groundwork to reduce the severe impact of wrappers of tobacco-related products, plastic bottles and cans/packets of foods and beverages on the environment of the city.

Discarded wrappers of foods, drinks and tobacco-related products thrown all over the streets and public places are not only unsightly, they also spoil the beauty of the historic city.

Rudra Singh Tamang, KMC Executive Officer, informed that the metropolis was working on a new provision to enhance the urban beauty by curbing the littering of wrappers on the streets.

KMC has already written to the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development, regarding the immediate need for the formulation and implementation of a new policy provision to tackle the endemic problem, such as littering, and their consequences to the environment.

Plastic and paper wrappers/packaging of chewing tobacco, pan parag, guthkha, noodles, edible oil and milk and discarded plastic bottles and packets of soft drinks and juice continue to be a real challenge for the metropolis.

Pointing out the need for policy provision to overcome the challenge, KMC has laid special emphasis on the effective implementation of the Solid Waste Management Act, 2011 in the letter to MoFALD.

For the purpose of sector-wise coordination and policy provision, the metropolis has sought approval of MoFALD for the provision to impose appropriate charge on the local manufacturing companies by the local body in respect of solid waste management as they have not been able to adopt control measures.

In the case of foreign-based manufacturing companies, KMC has proposed that the waste management charge will be recovered from their authorised dealers or related businesspersons.

KMC has also sought MoFALD permission to impose the charge on dealers or businesspersons for electronic waste (E-waste) management in the city.

According to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, the waste of electronic products is very difficult to handle once their useful life is over as they are made of hazardous constituents.