In an attempt to improve garbage management in Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has taken an initiative to collect wet and dry waste separately in each of the city's 24 administrative wards. While wet garbage will be collected daily through 45 routes that are only accessible to chosen communities, dry waste will be collected based on the neighborhood's requirements.
With waste production in the city ranging from 6,300 to 6,500 metric tonnes per day, effective garbage management strategies are crucial to maintaining the city's cleanliness.
If reports are to be believed, only one single compactor was brought in to gather both dry and wet waste combined the rubbish that locals had separated, causing frustration among the community. In response to this challenge, BMC launched a pilot program on November 15 to encourage housing societies to completely segregate their garbage.
This initiative helped the BMC understand citizens' reactions and needs, leading to the program's expansion in all other wards in the city.
"A vehicle to collect wet waste will be sent to these identified societies and hotels daily. Dry waste does not decay or have a bad odour, so a vehicle will be sent separately as per quantity of generation or the requirement of the locality. We will look at the response of the citizens and improvise accordingly," a civic officer of the Solid waste management department responded.
In addition to the program's expansion, the BMC will purchase six e-rickshaws to collect solid trash from congested lanes of Govandi, Deonar, and Mankhurd. This move will significantly aid in the segregation of waste, making it easier to manage garbage in the city. Currently, over 82% of trash is being separated at the source, and the BMC aims to achieve complete segregation in the foreseeable future.