Kochi Corporation council to decide on Aakri’s biomedical waste bid

The Expression of Interest (EoI) submitted by Aakri, a mobile app-based platform, for doorstep collection and disposal of biomedical waste within the Corporation limits will be placed before the Kochi Corporation council on Friday (May 8).

Alongside Aakri, another agency, Floret Technologies, had also submitted an EoI invited based on advance permission from Mayor V.K. Minimol. The health standing committee, at its meeting on February 18, recommended Aakri’s proposal, which quoted lower rates, for approval.

Aakri quoted ₹38.25 per kg - with a treatment charge of ₹26.25 subsidised by the Corporation and a user fee of ₹12 for households. The agency already collects biomedical waste at this rate from the city. Floret Technologies quoted ₹43 per kg, with a user fee of ₹15 and ₹28 to be paid by the Corporation. For commercial users, it quoted ₹50 per kg, split equally between users and the Corporation. Aakri’s disposal agreements with Kerala Enviro Infrastructure Limited (KEIL) and Biotic, and its operational experience in multiple municipalities, also worked in its favour.

The civic administration invited EoIs from accredited agencies soon after assuming charge, following complaints that the existing agency was charging above the subsidised rate fixed by the previous council. At that time, Aakri had attributed the issue to KEIL’s Common Bio-medical Waste Treatment Facility (CBWTF), which had temporarily scaled down capacity for Corporation waste.

KEIL dismissed the claim, stating that capacity was reduced only due to the shutdown of one incinerator and had since been restored. It has an installed capacity of 16 tonnes, of which 3.5 tonnes are spared for outside waste after accommodating hospital biomedical waste.

The Corporation is also exploring the scope of striking a direct arrangement with the selected agency by paying the subsidy component directly. Currently, the subsidy is paid to the agency facilitating waste disposal. Meanwhile, the Corporation has commissioned two incinerators with a combined capacity of around 3 tonnes at Brahmapuram. It is estimated that Kochi Corporation generates nearly 4 tonnes of biomedical waste daily.