A BRIEF INTRODUCTION OF BMC-SILT ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES P. LTD

(formally registered as BMC-Americorp Environmental Services P.Ltd.)

Background

In 1997, a bold step was taken to implement an Integrated Municipality Solid Waste Management Program in Biratnagar, Nepal's second most populous city Following a trend for privatization in the country, the Biratnagar Sub-Metropolitan Corporation (BMC) reached an agreement and signed a ten-year contract with the private, US-based Americorps Environmental Services Inc. (AES). Together they established BMC-Americorps Environmental Services Pvt., Ltd. (Registered in Nepal according to private company act of Nepal with partnership with Nepalese promoter)
The waste management plan submitted by AES was elaborate, comprehensive, attractive, and unfortunately fraudulent. The AES representative in Nepal fled the country having squandered a considerable portion of the capital, leaving BMC-Americorp Environmental Services Pvt.Ltd. in debt. Even the U.S. Embassy, which had confirmed AES as a legitimately registered American business, was duped. The fraud would have derailed Biratnagar's public-private partnership waste management planning altogether, but the group of initial Nepali investors (mostly Directors of SILT-Consultants Pvt. Ltd.) decided to continue the program. They were convinced that a modified plan could work, and the need for a waste management system had not changed. So the investors paid off the debts incurred by the fraudulent company and acquired the rights to the contract with the municipality.
SILT Environmental Services Pvt. Ltd. (SILTES), a Kathmandu-based company established in 1998 as sister concern of SILT Consultants Pvt.Ltd., to provide services in the field of environment and promotion of public awareness for environmental protection. The members of SILTES' Board of Directors are well-experienced and qualified full time engineers, environmentalists, and specialists in various disciplines. Through partnerships with the Kathmandu Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and the Biratnagar Sub-Metropolitan Corporation (BMC), SILTES seeks to establish self-sustainable models for integrated municipality solid waste management that eventually can be adopted throughout the country.

Objectives
Specific objective of this component :
· The objectives of the project concentrate on efforts in the areas of environment, community based solid waste management, clinical waste management, Industrial waste management, research, training, publications, promotion of renewable energy and organic farming.
Specific objectives of the project are:
· Development of a self-sustainable service charge based community supported solid waste management model with emphasis on recycling and resource recovery in Biratnagar.
· Development of private sector - municipal - community (Public-Private-Community) partnerships in solid waste management & recycling for improved urban environmental sanitation
· Creation of job opportunities for the neglected poor (especially women) by involving them in waste recycling activities.
· Establish a demonstration site for organic farming and renewable energy park to explain by example the potentiality of freely available environment friendly natural source of inexhaustible energy
§ Leadership and mobilization for the non-profit "Clean Biratnagar" movement to raise public awareness in local schools and the community at large about environmental protection
· Provide input for replication and policy reform.
Project Area
Biratnagar Sub-Metropolitan City, Morang District, Nepal

Activities:
1.    Initiate Customer based Door-to-door waste collection services in Biratnagar sub-metropolitan City (for minimal fees set by the municipality board); Carryout source base segregation of biodegradable and non-biodegradable wastes through distribution of separate containers to households for each type of waste;
2.    Street sweeping and waste collection in the municipality's commercial districts and residential area (in short whole City area);
3.   Transport of collected waste to a landfill/Composting site designed and developed by SILTES

4.   Planning and development of a landfill site with bio-gas recovery system, composting of organic waste, Collection and transportation of recyclable non organic waste to existing recycling plants, paper recycling and other post consumer products;
5.   Form and organize community groups and provide adequate training to carry out proper segregation and recycling of solid waste
6.   Setup composting units in the selected communities in a participatory manner involving the community in the planning stages as well as in the actual setting up of the units
7.   Train communities specially women in the operation and maintenance of the units.
8.    Establish outlets of the marketing of the compost and other recyclable materials
9.   Establish monitoring and evaluation system to check the performance of the composting units, evaluate the over all solid waste management system and income generation activities
10.   Establish Sustainable Urban Waste Management Network (SUWMN), to provide technical assistance, training program to municipalities, NGOs, CBOs in the sector
11.    Develop training manual on the clinical / hospital waste management and arrange pilot training program.
12.    Arrange annual review and midterm evaluation of the projects. Disseminate the results through electronic and print media
13.    Initiate Clean Biratnagar movement

Project Achievements
· Partnership agreements with Biratnagar Sub-Metropolitan City (BMC), has been signed for management of Integrated Solid Waste Management including Street Sweeping.
· The joint ventured private company BMC-SILT Environmental Services P. Ltd. is established in partnership with the metropolis.
· Organized `Clean Biratnagar' group with the residents of each target community of the project area. Clean Biratnagar shall control, monitor and act as a watchdog for environment and solid waste related activities in the community;
· here that this is the first Public-Private Partnership in the solid waste management sector of Biratnagar, Nepal.
· Trainers Training programs in waste paper recycling, beehive briquette making and vermi-composting for local community, and NGO representatives have been organized. The trainers in the aforementioned areas are able to run the program with occasional support from BMC-SILTES.
· The project has become a model, and almost all the national dailies, and national TV have demonstrated several features on the project highlighting its overall benefit
· Experiments on organic farming is being conducted in Biratnagar