Mixing of medical waste with municipal garbage continues unchecked

Kathmandu Metropolitan City has fined at least two private firms within one week for mixing hospital waste with household waste and dumping it in the Bancharedanda landfill.

Officials from the Environment Department at the Kathmandu Metropolitan City on Friday detained a garbage truck along with its driver for dumping hazardous hospital waste at the Bancharedanda landfill. The garbage truck and its driver were hired by a firm that collects household waste in the Valley and charges people for the services. “This is the second instance of taking the garbage truck and its driver into custody within one week,” said Rabin Man Shrestha, chief of the department. “We fined the firm Rs50,000 for mixing up hazardous hospital waste in the previous case and will impose the same fine on others as well.” Hospital waste management is an important, but neglected issue in Kathmandu.