Kochi Corporation invites EoIs for doorstep collection, disposal of biomedical waste under new arrangement

The Kochi Corporation has invited Expressions of Interest (EoIs) from accredited agencies for the doorstep collection and disposal of biomedical waste, following complaints that the existing agency was charging more than the subsidised rate agreed upon by the previous council, thereby creating hardships for residents.

‘Aakri’, a mobile app-based platform for doorstep waste collection, attributed the issue to the Common Bio-Medical Waste Treatment Facility (CBWTF) of Kerala Enviro Infrastructure Limited (KEIL), where the waste is incinerated, substantially scaling down the capacity allocated for waste from Corporation limits. KEIL, however, dismissed the allegation, stating that the capacity, which was temporarily scaled down due to the shutdown of one of the two incinerators has since been restored.

Under the existing arrangement, Aakri is permitted to collect a user fee of ₹12 per kg from the public, while the Corporation subsidised the remaining cost by paying ₹33 per kg directly to KEIL. However, Aakri is now charging ₹45 per kg directly from the public, citing that the subsidy component is no longer applicable since it is now forced to dispose of most of the waste outside KEIL.

“We have called for EoIs within seven days to establish a direct arrangement with the selected agency by paying them the subsidy component. While Aakri has expressed willingness for such an arrangement, we could not arbitrarily make a choice without verifying whether other accredited agencies might offer more favourable terms to the Corporation. In the meantime, we have instructed Aakri to collect waste at the subsidised rate until the new arrangement is in place, which we have prioritised,” said Mayor V.K. Minimol.

With the user fee increased, over 2,500 bookings for biomedical waste collection remain pending. Aakri has volunteered to clear these within a couple of days once the direct subsidy arrangement is finalised. The agency estimates that Kochi Corporation generates nearly 4 tonnes of biomedical waste daily.

“We are currently able to dispose of just over one tonne at the KEIL facility, and that too irregularly, forcing us to rely on other limited facilities within Kerala. We previously disposed of waste in Goa, but restrictions have now been imposed on transborder transportation of biomedical waste. We cannot afford to collect waste at ₹12 per kg since we cannot fully dispose it at KEIL, the only facility to which the Corporation pays the subsidy” explained G. Chandrasekhar, CEO of Aakri.

Aakri has also proposed a slight increase in the user fee to ₹20-25 per kg, which would allow the Corporation to reduce its subsidy component from the current ₹33 under a direct arrangement.

N.K. Pillai, CEO of KEIL, rejected Aakri’s claims, asserting that the previous volume of 3.5 tonnes is now being accommodated at CBWTF. “There was a brief shutdown of one of our incinerators for maintenance, but it has since resumed operation. We have an installed capacity of 16 tonnes, of which around 3.5 tonnes can be spared after accommodating biomedical waste from hospitals,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Corporation has put on fast track the commissioning of the two incinerators with a combined capacity of around 3 tones. Instructions have been given to start their trial run.