The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike is set to address the health hazard of improper disposal of discarded masks, tissue paper, and other other sanitary waste. Though three-way segregation — dry, wet, and sanitary — is the norm, as per the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, this is not being implemented owing to lack of secondary collection.

The civic body has floated tenders for sanitary waste to be picked up separately and incinerated, like biomedical waste. The tender, senior officials of the BBMP said, was in the final stages of being finalised. The city generates around 36 tonnes of sanitary waste a day. “In another two weeks, each zone will have a dedicated biomedical waste collector, who will be pressed into action to collect these masks and other such material from dry waste collection centres (DWCCs) to be disposed of in a scientific manner,” said BBMP’s Special Commissioner (Solid Waste Management) D. Randeep.

The technical and financial approval of the tender is under progress. Sanitary waste will be picked up from the secondary collection points in each ward and transported to the incinerators. “As per the norms of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), only authorised biomedical waste handlers with incineration facilities can participate in the tender,” he said.

Meanwhile, it is status quo for the new garbage tenders. SWM officials, who spoke to The Hindu on condition of anonymity, said the tenders that were for collection of only wet waste were almost finalised. However, Mayor M. Goutham Kumar had criticised the model and claimed that it would result in a garbage crisis. He said the BBMP should go in for a model where in a single vehicle with separate compartments to collect wet, dry, and sanitary waste every day. The Mayor and Commissioner B.H. Anil Kumar had even inspected a few vehicle prototypes. “However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the BBMP is focusing on only containing the spread. A decision may be taken after the lockdown is lifted,” officials said.