Waste Management

Even as the Mumbai skyline changes with redeveloped buildings of vertiginous heights, towers of another kind loom large over the city's two dumping grounds. The Deonar landfill, in use since 1927, holds a mountain of garbage 40 metres high. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) plans to shut it down by cleaning it up through bioremediation, leaving Kanjurmarg as the city's sole dumping ground. According to BMC’s Environment Status Report (ESR) 2024-25, 86% of Mumbai's daily waste, around 6,300 metric tonnes, goes to Kanjurmarg. However, a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report flags discrepancies: while the BMC records 6,514 tonnes of…

On October 30 this year, Bengaluru municipal authorities dumped garbage on the doorsteps of 218 households. This was part of an awareness drive, 'Kasa Suriyuva Habba' (Garbage Dumping Festival) by Greater Bengaluru Authority and Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML). The agencies also collected a fine of ₹2.8 lakhs. Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management is a major problem in the city. Blackspots are making the 'garden city' dirty and affecting public health. They are also a cause and consequence of poor segregation, which could affect the waste processing. And, experts agree that stricter enforcements are needed to deter street dumping…

Every Saturday morning, between 8 am and 10 am, Harsha Tiwary, a resident of Tulip Violet Society, deposits her bag of dry waste at the reception area of her tower. The Tulip Violet Society is a gated complex in Gurugram's Sector 69, housing nearly 1,000 families. In more than 200 households, this is a regular practice, where dry waste is segregated and stored during the week. This includes items such as plastic bottles, milk pouches, glass, metal and cardboard. Every Saturday, they carry it to their respective reception areas, from where the NGO OneStepGreener picks it up for recycling. “All dry…

Temple Bells, a 900-flat residential community in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Bengaluru, transforms nearly 4–5 tonnes of organic waste into compost every month. By prioritising segregation at source, the residents have drastically reduced what goes to the landfill and turned recyclable waste into a revenue stream. This not only generates income through sales but also saves on the Solid Waste Management (SWM) cess. The community follows the two-bin, one-bag system for collection — separate bins for wet and dry waste and a bag for sanitary waste. This ensures efficient source segregation. “In the beginning, getting everyone to follow it was challenging,” says…

Imagine taking a stroll through beautiful mountain roads and encountering mounds of garbage. Many Himalayan cities and towns in India have been grappling with the issue of growing plastic waste and its disposal. Zero Waste Himalaya (ZWH) is a collective working towards waste management in the Himalayan region. Their frequent clean-up drives and brand audits have helped them understand the importance of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). EPR is a policy approach that places the onus of plastic waste on producers and packaging industries. These companies are expected to take responsibility for the waste they generate, ensuring its collection, recycling, reuse,…

Urban cleanliness is not just a matter of aesthetics—it’s a reflection of civic responsibility, public health, and environmental stewardship. Across India, citizen-led initiatives are redefining what it means to take ownership of public spaces. In Mumbai, the Bandra ALM 33 community is striving to make their neighbourhood zero-waste through an initiative that educates citizens on effective waste management through small changes. They have monitored waste collection by actively engaging with waste pickers, and are motivating households to segregate and compost waste through awareness sessions. Similarly, the Sustainability Improvement through Multiple Projects for a Lovelier Environment (SIMPLE) group in Thalambur, Chennai, which includes…

More than 62 million tonnes and counting. That is the staggering amount of waste that India generates every year. In a recent explainer video, we outlined the growing garbage crisis in the country, and how Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plants pose a threat to the environment, public health and people's livelihoods. If WTE plants are problematic, what could be some sustainable alternatives to our garbage problems? This explainer delves into those solutions. The first step is crucial: generate as little waste as possible. That starts with composting biodegradable waste locally—at the ward level, through street composters, or even right at home. Stronger…

Thirty-year-old Yallamma Shankar migrated to Bengaluru from Koppal district in northern Karnataka 14 years ago. She settled in Sumannahalli, in the western part of the city, and took up free-roaming waste work to make ends meet. Initially, she was glad to work outdoors in a city known for its good weather. Every day, she left her home at 5 am and worked till 2 pm, walking up to 10 kilometres a day to collect waste. “But in the last decade, summers have become unbearable. I feel giddy, dehydrated, and often lose three days of work each month because I fall…

In January 2025, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reclassified Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plants under a newly introduced 'blue' category of industries. This change, framed as part of “essential environmental services,” signals a significant policy shift, one that many experts fear could normalise a polluting technology under the garb of progressive waste management. At first glance, the revised classification system seems technical and benign. But behind the bureaucratic language lies a fundamental question: how can an industry once categorised as 'red', the most hazardous tier, suddenly become 'blue', a category reserved for supposedly cleaner, essential services? What does the classification system…

India is running out of landfill space, and governments across cities are increasingly pushing Waste-to-Energy (WtE) plants as the solution. On paper, these plants promise a win-win: burning non-recyclable waste to produce electricity, while reducing the burden on overflowing dumpsites. But the ground reality tells a different story. WtE plants in India face five big problems: They are inefficient because waste in Indian cities is low-calorie and poorly segregated, WtE plants pose serious health and environmental hazards, They are financially unviable WtE systems undermine recycling efforts They do not support a circular economy and threaten the livelihoods of waste pickers.…