Bengaluru to re-tender 14 waste-collection packages after low response

Seven of Bengaluru’s 21 approved waste-collection packages have been accepted by contractors, and the remaining 14 will be re-tendered.

Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Ltd (BSWML) had proposed 33 packages to expand door-to-door collection with larger, GPS-enabled vehicles. The cabinet approved 21 of those packages, but contractors accepted work orders for only seven.

Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said the city’s current fleet of about 5,300 autos, each with a one-tonne capacity, cannot serve the entire population. The proposed vehicles were expected to carry around three tonnes each and allow waste movement from neighbourhoods to processing facilities to be tracked.

Garbage collection will continue through the existing fleet until the new contracts begin. At a public consultation, residents flagged inconsistent arrival times for collection vehicles. Gowda asked households to segregate waste and, when they cannot hand it directly to workers, keep it in separate bins near their homes or within their compounds for pickup.

BSWML will re-tender the 14 packages that contractors did not accept.