Bhubaneswar, Nov. 1: Waste segregation will be made easier with the municipal corporation set to introduce colour-coded trash bins all over the city by January.

The city civic body will procure and install 4,000 such waste bins in green and blue colours. An awareness drive will be launched to ensure that citizens dump biodegradable waste, such as food items, in the green bins, and non-biodegradable waste, such as plastic items, in the blue bins.

The aim of this waste management step is to ease waste segregation by making people of the city take part in the project. After the service is introduced in the state capital, other urban local bodies in the state will adopt a similar system of setting up colour-coded bins.

"The new colour-coded bins will ease the waste segregation process. The people will be sensitised to use the bins properly. Moreover, we are going to compete with 499 other cities in the country in the upcoming Swachh Survekshan. We don't want to lose the opportunity to get the cleanest city tag," said mayor Ananta Narayan Jena.

The municipal corporation will spend Rs 45 lakh each in its three administrative zones for the installation of the waste bins. "We have already floated the tenders for execution of the projects. We will select the bidders in the next two weeks and have decided to complete the installation by January-end," said a senior civic body official. He added that the bins would be installed in all the wards.

At present, the city civic body takes care of cleanliness in 10 wards, while the remaining 57 wards are cleaned by private agencies. The city currently has 4,000 waste bins. "The forthcoming installation will increase the number of waste bins in the city by almost double. It will certainly help improve the waste management process," said the official.

City residents welcomed the civic body's move. "This is indeed a good move. More waste bins for the city in itself a great need and the new system of colour-coded bins sounds unique. Waste segregation is necessary for its safe disposal. The civic body should undertake rigorous awareness drives so that more people learn about its benefits," said Niladri Vihar resident Pratap Parida.

The new waste bins will have the capacity to accommodate nearly 50 litres of garbage each. "It is good that the municipal corporation will introduce the new bins, but they should also ensure to conduct 100 per cent door-to-door collection of waste. There are certain places in the city where the civic body doesn't have dustbins. There is an urgent need for door-to-door collection at these places. If the city wants the tag of being the cleanest in the country, they should overcome this problem too," said Rasulgarh resident Tarini Mahapatra, a social worker.