Corporation to end subsidised biomedical waste collection

The Kochi Corporation is set to suspend subsidised biomedical waste collection from households and replace it with a multi-agency, non-subsidised system, likely from August.

At present, the Corporation pays a subsidy of ₹28 per kilogram while users pay ₹12 per kilogram. The move follows Monday’s Corporation council meeting, where councillors across party lines sharply criticised alleged inflated bills, irregular collection, and differential rates charged by agencies currently engaged in biomedical waste collection.

Mayor V.K. Minimol on Tuesday (June 30) convened a meeting with representatives of Raidco Kerala Limited – which operates two incinerators with a combined capacity of three tonnes per day at Brahmapuram – two mobile app-based platforms, Aakri and Suchigo, and Kerala Enviro Infrastructure Limited (KEIL), which treats part of the biomedical waste collected within Corporation limits to discuss the proposed shift to a non-subsidised system.

“All three agencies have been asked to submit proposals on the rates at which they can collect biomedical waste without subsidy before July 15. Subsidised collection will be restricted to limited categories such as palliative and bed-ridden patients, subject to certification by doctors,” the Mayor said.

The twin incinerators operated by Raidco are yet to reach their full capacity of three tonnes per day, while KEIL has agreed to treat another three tonnes daily. “Raidco’s facility will soon be running at optimum capacity, with issues affecting one of the units to be resolved shortly,” Ms. Minimol added.

Former health standing committee chairperson T.K. Asharaf noted that the subsidy for biomedical waste collection had drained the Corporation by ₹8.58 crore. Councillors alleged that collection was erratic and often charged at rates exceeding the agreed ₹40 per kilogram. Health standing committee member Henry Austin expressed doubts about the reported daily collection of around 8.50 tonnes, questioning whether it included waste from outside Corporation limits. He argued that unless the Corporation itself collected and handed over the waste to agencies, it would be impossible to accurately assess the quantity generated.

The Corporation has started subsidised collection of biomedical waste after the disruption in service following the pandemic followed by the major fire breakout in Brahmapuram.