Construction and debris (C&D) as well as inert waste lying on streets and footpaths across the city will be cleared as part of the Freedom from Waste special drive starting August 1. This is the second such special drive after the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) launched the Safe Footpath drive on July 1.

Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Ltd. (BSWML) has developed a dedicated app, Clearit, for the purpose. Ward engineers have been directed to upload geotagged photos of the waste dumps in their wards on the app. BSWML will clear them.

The GBA has identified eight land parcels totalling 57 acres across the outskirts of the city where this waste will be shifted. A recent estimate by the five corporations pegged C&D and inert waste lying on the streets at 22,372 tonnes.

Likewise, all parastatals — Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) and Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), among others, that carry out civil works have been instructed to clear all C&D waste from their work sites and transport it to the same land parcels.

A circular issued by GBA Chief Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao on Tuesday for the Freedom from Waste drive asked ward-level and zonal officials to take up special cleaning drives at public places such as bus stops, skywalks, flyovers, underpasses and places of worship. It also directs officials to work with educational institutions in their jurisdictions to launch zero-waste campaigns, apart from ensuring routine SWM practices.