The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) Office is learnt to have been working with the concept of placing vending machines for effective management of plastic waste in seven busiest areas of the town.
Bearing in mind the contribution of plastic waste in growing urban pollution, the Office has planned to put such containers in major city areas.
As stated by KMC private public partnership unit chief Mahesh Kafle, the machine will be put in a fixed location of major areas and anyone putting waste inside it will get extra balance in his/ her mobile phone. To be paid for using the vending machine, one should enter personal details including cell phone number into the system which is similar to the ATM system.
On the one hand, the use of machine will help keep the city clean and on the other hand, its users will get certain amount in return. Mineral water bottles, cold drink bottles and packaging of cheese balls and instant noodles can be put in the vending machine after the use of such products (for reuse). The use of vending machine is not a new practice in the world, but is totally new concept in the context of Nepal. The KMC has planned to set such machine at Tribhuvan International Airport, New Road and Durbar Marg areas, among others, in the first phase.
