Bengaluru apartment residents seek rollback of unfair user fee on solid waste under new ‘bulk generator’ rules

In January, BSWML classified Bengaluru apartment complexes with over 100 units as bulk waste generators, and imposed a user fee on solid waste.

The Bangalore Apartments Federation (BAF) on Tuesday asked the state government to withdraw the notice to collect the user fee of Rs 12 against every 1 kg of solid waste collected from residents of apartments, by imposing 18 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST).

In January, Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML) classified apartment complexes with over 100 units as bulk waste generators, and imposed a user fee on solid waste.

For a 500-unit apartment, this translates to lakhs of rupees in extra financial burden every single month, BAF president Satish Mallya said in a press conference.

Opposing the new regulation, Mallya stated that the apartments have set up sustainable waste management systems and wet waste processing units, and hence the authorities should allot them green credits and not ‘financial penalties’.

“While an independent house under 2,000 square feet pays a nominal fee of Rs 100 per month through property tax, apartment residents are being charged Rs 12 per kilogram.

Coupled with an 18 per cent GST burden, this amounts to approximately Rs 360 per month per flat — a staggering 600 per cent in waste disposal costs,” he said.

The BAF has urged the government to implement a compost buy-back system and ensure transparent consultations with apartment associations before implementing any pricing changes.

Over the past several years, BAF has been demanding the enactment of the Karnataka Apartments Ownership and Management Act (KAOMA 2025), replacing the Karnataka Apartment Ownership Act-1972, which they feel has many gaps.

Stating that the draft of the act has been ready since July last year, Mallya said, “The delay in passing the KAOMA 2025 Act is leaving citizens struggling to manage their apartments, resolve disputes, and protect their ownership rights without a legal framework.”
Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram