Mumbai, May 21: As Mumbai’s garbage crisis deepens, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has tightened the noose on Bulk Waste Generators (BWGs) by enforcing mandatory four-way waste segregation under the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules 2026.
Residential societies, malls, hotels and commercial establishments will be required to register on the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) portal and start processing wet waste at source or through authorised civic systems, failing which they face penal action. The BMC also plans to levy user charges on BWGs in the long run.
In a sweeping expansion of its waste regulation framework, the BMC plans to bring nearly 4,680 establishments under mandatory registration and compliance norms over the next six to 12 months.
Officials said any establishment with a built-up area exceeding 20,000 square metres, waste generation above 100 kg per day, or water consumption crossing 40,000 litres will be classified as a BWG, with even one criterion enough to trigger mandatory compliance obligations.
The civic body has directed assistant commissioners of all 26 administrative wards to ensure registration of every BWG on the SWM portal within the next 15 days. Officials warned that notices will be issued to establishments failing to comply. The city generates 7,000 metric tonnes of waste daily.
Dedicated waste collection systems introduced
In addition to wet and dry waste collection, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has introduced dedicated collection systems for sanitary and special-care waste, with more than 7,000 entities — including residential complexes, beauty parlours, institutions and girls’ hostels — already enrolled under the initiative. The waste is transported through dedicated ward-level vehicles to 11 decentralised plasma incineration centres for scientific disposal.
The civic body has also partnered with Mahanagar Gas Limited to set up a massive compressed biogas (CBG) plant at Deonar, which will process 1,000 metric tonnes of segregated wet waste daily, converting Mumbai’s organic garbage into clean vehicle fuel and piped natural gas while reducing pressure on the city’s overflowing waste disposal system.
“A dedicated fleet of two vehicles each will be deployed to collect segregated kitchen waste from hospitals and hotels for transportation to the Deonar plant every day. Initially, around 350 tonnes of kitchen waste will be collected, with the target eventually increasing to 1,000 tonnes daily. The collection service will begin from May 30 in N ward (Ghatkopar) and S ward (Bhandup). We decided to start from Bhandup as the ward faces certain operational challenges,” said Kiran Dighavkar.
User charges likely in future
Under the revised rules, the BMC has barred Bulk Waste Generators (BWGs) from using third-party agencies for waste transportation, making on-site wet waste processing mandatory. In cases where BWGs are unable to process waste independently, they will have to hand it over to the BMC for disposal.
Currently, the civic body spends nearly Rs 812 per tonne to transport and process waste at the Kanjurmarg dumping ground. Unlike most other municipal corporations, the BMC does not levy a user fee for this service at present, though officials indicated that charges may be introduced in the future.
Segregation at source
Wet waste:
Kitchen waste, food waste, vegetable waste, meat waste, fruit waste and other biodegradable waste.
Dry waste:
Recyclable and non-recyclable waste, including sanitary and special-care waste.
Sanitary waste:
Diapers, sanitary towels or napkins, tampons and condoms.
Special-care waste:
Discarded paint drums, pesticide containers, compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), bulbs, expired medicines, broken mercury thermometers, waste batteries, used needles and syringes, and other hazardous household waste.
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Additional Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Joshi said the civic body will initially prioritise onboarding and public awareness, while enforcement measures and penalties will be rolled out gradually in a structured phase-wise manner.
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