The problem of managing wastes in Samdrupchhoeling Dungkhag will soon be solved with the establishment of a waste recovery facility with the help of Bhutan Trust Fund for Environmental Conservation and Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative.
Without a proper waste management facility in the Dungkhag, some of the residents resort to illegal dumping and burning of their wastes. The shopkeepers carry out cleanup campaigns every Tuesday but that is not enough until they get a proper waste disposal site.
“Without a proper disposal site, the problem won’t just fade away. It is not good to burn it and sometimes without any option we land up throwing waste here and there without any disposal site here,” said Chenga Zangmo, a shopkeeper in Samdrupchhoeling.
“We really need a disposal site, children use to throw waste everywhere here, I don’t throw waste here and there. I have packed my waste in a sack and kept as we are told that waste will be collected soon,” added Makunda Prashad, also a shopkeeper in Samdrupchhoeling.
The problem may not last long as the waste Material Recovery Facility (MRF) was opened in the Dungkhag last month and shopkeepers and residents are waiting for it to get functional. The MRF will recover the recyclables waste and strife towards conservation of the environment.
The MRF will segregate wastes into recyclable and non-recyclable and prepare recyclable waste for marketing. And the coordinator of the MRF says the facility will be operational within this year.
“Currently I am not able to collect the wastes since I don’t have a vehicle and after procuring a vehicle I will collect waste every Tuesday. I will start collecting within this year only,” said Sherab Gyeltshen, the coordinator of MFR.
The firm will collect both recyclable and non-recyclable waste and has plans to make organic manure from non-recyclable waste.
“I will buy those wastes which are recyclable from them, the wastes which are not recyclable like plastic will be also collected but I will not pay for it. I will bring it here and later use it for making manure,” he added.
The MRF will collect waste from the gewogs of Phuentshogthang, Pemathang, Samrang and Martshala. These four gewogs in Samdrupchhoeling Dungkhag produces about 2 metric ton of paper and plastic waste in a month.
Kinley Wangchuk.
