Officials at KMC said the new measure will help deal with the chronic problem of garbage disposal that has been a major nuisance in the metropolis for years. [break]
The environment department at KMC proposes to levy the additional tariff on households that produce more than 10 kilograms of garbage per day.
"Our proposal will not hit the common man, who is already paying a tariff to private garbage collectors," said Santa Ram Pokhrel, chief of the department.
Several private organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been collecting litter from households in the metropolis. Pokharel said such organizations have been charging more from the households. He also said that the Solid Waste Management Act -2068 allows KMC to impose a garbage tariff.
KMC said that such organizations and NGOs have been collecting up to 35 percent of the garbage from households. Most such organizations have also been transporting the garbage to landfill sites.
"We will hold discussions with city dwellers, other stakeholders and civil society before enforcing the new regulation," said Rabinman Shrestha, an official at the department. He said the department has already submitted the proposal to KMC´s chief executive.
KMC has been spending over Rs 280 million annually on garbage management. It assesses that private organizations have been collecting more than that. Shrestha said the office will provide a swift service once the new regulation is enforced.
Meanwhile, KMC is also planning to ban the use of polythene bags in the metropolis from the beginning of the new Nepali year. Plastic bags are considered a major cause of environmental degradation in the metropolis.
KMC has already banned the use of plastic bags at the main heritage sites. The office has also banned the production of polythene bags of less than 20 micron thickness.
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