Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) in a survey report said that the city corporations and municipalities spend Tk7045 per capita annually to provide various services, of which 8 per cent only is spent on waste management.
According to the BBS survey, all city corporations and municipalities together spent Tk 28,539 crore in the fiscal year 2020-21. Out of this, Tk2260 crore has been spent on waste management. That is, local governments spend about 8 per cent of their total expenditure on waste management.
These data have emerged in the 'Municipal Waste Management Survey 2022' recently published by BBS, which covers the financial year 2020-21.
The average annual per capita expenditure on waste management is Tk 558.
Apart from this cost, the private companies who get registration for cleaning work from the City Corporation or municipality charge a fixed rate against the collection of waste from residential or commercial buildings.
Meanwhile, urban planners have raised questions about spending so much on waste management
They say that solid waste management activities in city corporations and municipalities are done traditionally. That is, all types of solid waste are collected together and disposed of in landfills.
However, recycling and proper management of the accumulated waste is not done. On the other hand, up to Tk100-500 per household is being charged depending on the area for waste collection. As a result, even though so much money is spent on waste management, its benefits are not gained.
“Currently, we are not getting the benefit of what the local governments are spending. Waste collection, transportation, and disposal are not done properly,” Akter Mahmod, Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Jahangirnagar University.
The BBS survey has highlighted the measures taken by the local governments to prevent environmental pollution, including resource management, employment, and technological development in this sector.
