By Rick M 
In response to increasing environmental challenges, the current Itahari Municipality has launched a new comprehensive waste management plan to make the urban city beautiful. The complex program has been under preparation for several months and includes measures aimed at enhancing the efficiency of Municipal Solid Waste collection and disposal organization, popularization of recycling and utilization of recyclable wastes, as well as enhancement of people’s awareness of waste management issues.
This has been occasioned by growing complains from residents that they are not receiving efficient waste management services and the rising sightability of littering in common areas. These concerns have been realized by municipal officials and have since consulted environmentalists and other stakeholders in order to fashion an integrated strategy on the problem.
At the center of the new program is a renewed waste collection service where the waste will be segregated according to the color of the bin. People will be prompted to sort their waste correctly into the bio waste category, the recycled materials category, and the rest category. This has been made possible by ensuring that the new waste collection vehicles purchased by the municipality are fitted with different sections for the different waste streams for segregation, even during transportation.
If the above-mentioned changes take place, the municipality will embark on a massive public enlightenment exercise to educate the public on the new system. This will comprise home visits by volunteers who will brief families on waste sorting and reasons for recycling. Schools in Itahari will also do their part – in the process of introducing the principles of segregation and other measures into classes, children will be given an understanding of how to sort and dispose of garbage.
It also aims to set up a capacity recycling plant outside Itahari City in a bid to provide its service to the community. The new plant will accept recyclable materials that are gathered all over the city, increase employment among residents, and minimize landfill waste. The municipality has worked with several private organizations in order to guarantee that recycled materials are used effectively in industrial applications.
Another added feature of the program is eradicating poor segregation and recycling waste by putting into practice a reward system for residents who persevere in environmentally acceptable practices. Citizens can make points through its mobile application and can either use the points to pay less for some of the business establishments in the locality or even minimize municipal taxes. The strategy of using games is to promote the proper disposal of waste and encourage the provision of such facilities as a communal activity.
The municipality has also made an announcement about measures it plans to take to deal with the behavior of plastic waste, an issue that has been more apparent in the recent past. Single-use plastic items like polythene bags, cups, spoons, and carriers will be in the first phase, followed by other used ones before discarded items like carrier bags and containers. Local industry will be assisted in changing over to contain materials that are not eco-friendly.
As for the solution to the problem of littering public places, the introduced plan provides for the placement of intelligent containers in zones with increased traffic. These bins will have sensors that notify municipal workers that they are full so that the collection can be arranged promptly and no bin overflows. A team of street cleaners will also be assigned to work to ensure that parks, markets, and any other public places are well-cleaned.
The municipality stated the importance of community participation in supporting the success of this program. Every month there will be a town hall meeting to get the feedback from people and changes have to be made if necessary. There has also been an established toll-free line for people to report problem areas or progressive ideas concerning waste disposal within the residents’ community.
Environmental groups in Itahari have commended the new initiative mainly because of its ambitious scope and emphasis on the community. They have provided assistance in the adoption of a number of facets of the program and have urged the residents to accept the change to help the city function better.
Local government heads, as the program is launched in the following weeks, have similar expectations of the effectiveness of the campaign in enhancing clean up of Itahari and its overall environmental sanitation. They consider this as a positive change and bent on making the new and existing generations live in a more sustainable city, waiting for other municipalities of Nepal to replicate theirs.