A pilot project initiated in Chubachu, Thimphu, to help find a lasting solution to the capital city’s growing waste problem is proving to be a success.
According to Thimphu Thromde (City Corporation) officials, it has helped reduce the amount of waste at the dumping site in Memelakha.
Under the public private partnership project, residents in Chubachu segregate their household waste right at home.
Each household has been provided two bins, one for biodegradable and the other for non-biodegradable waste. They are collected by waste disposal trucks.
The capital city produces 50 tons of waste in a day. About half are non-biodegradable waste like plastic containers, cans, and bottles.
The idea is to recycle and reuse the non-biodegradable waste, thereby reducing the amount of waste arriving at the dump site in Memelakha which is fast filling up.
“Dumping biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste together, without segregating them, is hazardous both for people and the environment. They produce methane gas which is dangerous,” according to Gyeltshen Drukpa, the city’s chief environment officer.
Residents in about 80 buildings in Chubachu currently segregate their waste.
The practice will soon be introduced in the lower market, after that in the heart of the town, and eventually throughout the capital.
