One thing the capital city seems to have in abundance is an unmanaged waste. A cleaning campaign carried out yesterday in the south and central Thimphu collected more than 16 tons of waste. More than 800 volunteers took part in a move to clean up the city by not only picking up waste but also by educating and creating awareness among the people.
Divided into groups, the teams kicked off the campaign in seven different locations.
According to an official, the aim is to change the public’s mindset and make people responsible when it comes to disposing of waste.
‘‘Her Majesty had coined the slogan “My Waste, My Responsibility”. When we started the zero waste initiative, the idea was that every citizen has to contribute. The behaviour change has to come in. And that can only come in when people start accepting the responsibility for the waste they generate.’’ said Sonam P. Wangdi, the Secretary of the National Environment Commission.
The campaign is a part of the zero waste initiative which aims to reduce waste disposal at landfills from the current trend of 80 per cent to 20 per cent through 100 per cent source segregation and improve waste management service delivery.
And it does not end here. Once it is over in Thimphu, the campaign will be carried out in the other districts as well. Furthermore, the officials will also be using the help of technology to ensure proper management of waste.
‘‘In fact, there are also going to be mobile apps for monitoring where we will be monitoring and engaging DeSuups and some of our other enforcement agencies. So through that, we can report and we are going to penalise those who are violating the rules on waste management. We are also revising the fines to ensure that those who violate those rules will be penalised heavily.’’ said the NEC Secretary.
Meanwhile, access to waste collection services remains a challenge, especially for those in rural parts.
Budhi Maya Tamang, a shopkeeper in Khasadrapchu said she used to see garbage collector trucks before but now they have to dispose of them on their own.
‘‘We had it around three years ago. Now we store it outside and then hire boleros and taxis to dump it. We throw the wet wastes down there.”
According to the National Waste Inventory Survey of 2019, more than 60 per cent of the total households in the country lack access to waste collection services. The country generates more than 170 tons of solid waste in a day.
Karma Wangdi
Edited by Yeshi Gyaltshen