Waste: Thimphu thromde will place bins at designated locations for residents who are not able to manage with the waste collection timings.

Thimphu Thrompon Kinlay Dorjee said that two bins each will be placed at the designated areas for dry and wet waste by December 9.

The drop-off location for residents in south Thimphu is identified below the thromde’s municipal workers temporary shed in Langjophakha, while for central Thimphu residents it is near Greener Way, and for the north Thimphu residents the location is identified as Greener Way’s transfer station below Nabirongchhu bridge.

“People have to segregate the waste before dumping them in the bins,” the thrompon said.

The bins in central and south Thimphu will be managed and monitored by Greener Way while Clean City will manage and monitor the bins in the north.

The housing colonies like National Pension and Provident Fund (NPPF) and Changjiji will also have the bins. The bins will be fenced and will be locked after 9pm to avoid scattering of waste by dogs and also to discourage people who do not segregate waste from dumping in the bins. Staff with the NPPF and National Housing and Development Corporation Ltd (NHDCL) will monitor the bins at the colonies.

Thimphu thromde’s deputy executive engineer, Yeshi Wangdi said that the decision to place bins at the designated locations came after people complained of the irregular waste collection by the collection trucks. “It is an alternative solution.”

The facility is expected to curb the issue of people dumping waste in un-designated areas.

Yeshi Wangdi said that reaching all the residents before 9am and after 5pm is not economically feasible for the waste collecting firms because of many reasons like limited number of collection trucks.

The thromde is also studying the feasibility of placing bins for military colonies. “We will also place bins in the military colonies soon,” Yeshi Wangdi said.

The collection trucks will not come door-to-door to collect waste in the housing colonies after the bins are placed. However, the bins will be emptied immediately when it is filled.

The city has commercial, industrial and residential areas mixed so a general system of waste collection does not work. “When a problem of one area is solved, problem in another area arises, so we studied and specific system is applied for specific settlement.”

Once the bins are placed in the designated areas, evening waste collection service will start along Norzin Lam and Chang Lam. The collection is likely to start from 7pm.

The thromde will repair the existing bins if required and use the old bins available with the thromde.

Dechen Tshomo

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