Promising to develop a replicable model for the civic authorities to help residents put their garbage to best use with the help of farm scientists, the University of Agricultural Sciences-Bengaluru Alumni Association has mooted the idea of providing 10 per cent rebate in property tax to residents who turn their kitchen waste into compost to grow their own vegetables.
“On the lines of measures taken to provide rebate in electricity bill to those who have installed solar water heaters, the authorities must encourage citizens to put their garbage to best use through some incentives,” UAS-B Alumni Association Chairman K. Narayana Gowda suggested.
Speaking to media persons on the sidelines of the inaugural session of the global alumni meet of the association here on Sunday, Dr. Gowda said the association would take up a pilot work to prepare a model, which can be adopted by any city in the country.
“We want this model to be a comprehensive one that can provide end-to-end solutions,” he said.
“Apart from educating on the methods of turning garbage into compost and growing own vegetables with efficient use of water, we must also ensure availability of seeds and seedlings at affordable prices. These things should also be available to residents at places near to their houses,” he said. The association wants Bruhat Bengaluru Mahangara Palike (BBMP) to hold consultations with various public institutions that have large spaces for setting up facilities to sell seedlings, seeds, bio-fertilizers and other required material to set a kitchen garden.
He said there were various scientific methods to handle non-decomposable waste such as using them in construction of bricks and building of roads.
‘Take measures’
Hailing the recent order of the High Court of Karnataka that prescribed two-bins-one-bag system for garbage segregation at houses, he said a pro-active measures by the BBMP to encourage residents to turn the garbage into wealth by themselves will help resolve the crisis over garbage disposal.
Pro-active measure by the BBMP to encourage residents to turn waste into compost will help resolve garbage disposal crisisK. Narayana Gowda,UAS-B Alumni Association Chairman

Source : The Hindu