Kathmandu is clean again—till the time it is not. After yet another agreement with the locals of Sisdol in Nuwakot district, the old dumping site on the outskirts of the valley, garbage that had been piling by the roadsides is being picked up again. But for how long? Sisdol landfill site is nearly full. But its alternative, Banchare Danda, also in Nuwakot, is not ready yet. Besides, the locals of Banchare Danda, just like those of Sisdol, are loath to voluntarily turn their village into a stinking waste dump.

 

 

When Banchare Danda is finally deemed ready, expect more of the never-ending series of protests and agreements, often broken, with the government. So some weeks, garbage will be collected from our homes and communities and some weeks they won’t.

 

But is there no sustainable and reliable solution to Kathmandu’s waste problem? There are a few hopeful options (See main story, Page 7). If the waste can be segregated at the source, at least some of it can be recycled. The rest can be hygienically incinerated or pulverized before being taken to the landfill, a waste-reduction method the Japanese capital of Tokyo has long employed. A Nepali company is now pioneering the use of waste plastic to pave roads. Others are making handicrafts from waste material.

 

 

If garbage can be seen more as a resource, as some suggest, then perhaps the public can even be paid to segregate the recyclable bits. Only such radical departures from our current ways will solve the valley’s waste problem once and for all.