TCC to determine whether pilot project will be implemented across Thimphu

Thimphu City Corporation’s (TCC) double-bin garbage disposal project was first piloted in Chubachu from where it was moved to the minister’s enclave in Motithang and finally Changjiji housing colony but the feasibility of the public-private partnership project remains a question if it is to be implemented across the capital.
The cost of the bins is borne by the government. According to the officiating Chief Environment Officer, Pema Dorji, “It is just a pilot project; we have to determine the financial set up through this pilot project to further implement it in the rest of the area.”
Months after the TCC had the steel community bins removed from various locations, garbage disposal has been a major concern for residents especially office goers.
But according to a TCC official, private building owners have been allocated several bins at a subsidized rate that is 50% of their original price of Nu 5,400.
However there were complaints from them that tenants do not dispose of their garbage properly and litter around the bins which the garbage trucks do not pay attention to. Meanwhile, the mechanical transport officer for the TCC, Tashi Tshering said that the plan was to tell the building owners to ask tenants to dispose their garbage in the bins.
Towards this end, TCC had a meeting for all the building owners but hardly 25 individuals showed up from the expected 75 and the second time, only 27 showed up from the same expected number of individuals
As of now, TCC sends only one truck at different schedules to collect degradable and non-degradable wastes. But soon, the chief environment officer said that the TCC will be introducing more compactor trucks which will enable TCC personnel to collect the garbage from the two bins at once.
Besides that, he also added that one of the goals is to introduce private interest in waste segregation. He said, “By March next year, we will start the process of privatizing waste segregation.”
The new project will be jointly financed by the UNDP and the TCC while Waste Netherland, a NGO based in the Netherlands will be assisting the TCC on technical matters and data analyzing.
The off. Chief Environment Officer added that the initial problem people would face if waste segregation is privatized will be the cost the private individuals will charge. However, the tenants will be asked to pay a minimal charge for this service. But even though waste segregation is going to be privatized, the TCC will be assisting the private undertakers and also monitor them until the service attains maturity.