Kochi: The Kochi Corporation is preparing to discontinue subsidised household biomedical waste collection and replace it with a non-subsidised, multi-agency system, likely from August. The decision follows mounting criticism over irregular waste collection, mounting subsidy costs and delays in operationalising a new treatment facility.

Under the existing system, households pay ₹12 per kilogram for biomedical waste collection, while the corporation bears a subsidy of ₹28 per kilogram.

The issue came under sharp discussion at Monday's corporation council meeting, where councillors across party lines alleged that collection had become irregular, leading to biomedical waste piling up in homes. They also questioned alleged inflated bills and complaints that agencies were charging households more than the approved rates.

Mayor VK Minimol on Tuesday convened a meeting with representatives of Raidco Kerala Limited, which operates two biomedical waste incinerators with a combined capacity of three tonnes a day at Brahmapuram, app-based collection platforms Aakri and Suchigo, and Kerala Enviro Infrastructure Limited (KEIL), which treats part of the biomedical waste generated within corporation limits, to discuss a revised collection mechanism.

The mayor asked the agencies to submit proposals before July 15, indicating the rates at which they could collect biomedical waste without the corporation subsidy. She added that subsidised collection would be retained only for specific categories, including palliative care and bedridden patients, based on certification from doctors.

Minimol said Raidco's twin incinerators were yet to operate at their full combined capacity of three tonnes per day, while KEIL had agreed to process an additional three tonnes daily. She added that technical issues affecting one of Raidco's units would be resolved soon, enabling the plant to function at optimum capacity.

Former Health Standing Committee chairman TK Asharaf said the corporation had already spent ₹8.58 crore on subsidising biomedical waste collection.

LDF Parliamentary Party Leader VA Sreejith said the council discussion primarily centred on the failure of agencies to collect biomedical waste regularly, resulting in waste accumulating in households and, in some cases, spilling into public spaces, creating environmental concerns.

He said the LDF had repeatedly urged the corporation over the past few council meetings to make the newly built three-tonne biomedical waste processing plant at Brahmapuram fully operational instead of increasing the financial burden on residents.

According to Sreejith, the facility, completed around six months ago, has remained largely idle because the contractor found its operation commercially unviable due to diesel costs that were not factored into the tender. He argued that even if the corporation bore the fuel expenses, it would still be more economical than the amount currently being paid to KEIL, along with the subsidy.

“We are not in favour of increasing the amount collected from the public. Our stand is that the new plant should be made fully functional first. That will significantly reduce the Corporation's expenditure,” he said.

Sreejith also alleged that while discussions and decisions on the issue take place in almost every council meeting, implementation has remained elusive.

He further suggested that setting up another three- or four-tonne biomedical waste treatment plant at Brahmapuram, where sufficient land is now available after biomining, would enable Kochi to handle its entire biomedical waste locally within a year, reducing dependence on external agencies while keeping collection charges affordable for residents.

Health Standing Committee member Henry Austin also questioned the reported collection of around 8.5 tonnes of biomedical waste every day, expressing doubts over whether the figure included waste brought from outside the Corporation limits. He maintained that the actual quantity generated within the city could be accurately assessed only if the corporation itself collected the waste before handing it over for treatment.

The corporation had introduced subsidised biomedical waste collection after services were disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic and later following the major fire at the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant.