KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 18

The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) is set to manage waste only after segregation. Waste from all 32 wards in the city will now be separated at the source.

This decision aims to address the rising costs and pollution associated with unsegregated waste being transported from 18 local levels in the Kathmandu Valley to the Bancharedanda Landfill Site, according to the KMC's Environment Management Department.

Department Chief Sarita Rai emphasized the need for polluters to take greater responsibility, stating that waste segregation at the source is also mandated by law. Currently, segregation is being implemented in Wards 5, 10, 24, 25, and 26, with plans to extend it to other wards soon.

The KMC plans to manage 20% of the waste at the Bancharedanda Landfill Site while handling the rest through service providers. Rai remarked, 'Waste generated at one site should not simply be accumulated at another. Proper management requires reducing waste volume through source segregation.'

Previously, private companies handled waste management in the city, but the KMC will now oversee the process via service providers.

The Kathmandu Valley's 18 local levels collectively generate approximately 1,600 metric tonnes of waste daily.