Within 6 months of launching special drive, BMC collects 586.5 metric tonne of sanitary, hazardous waste from 7 lakh households

The civic body’s data shows that till October 31, the BMC has been able to collect 586.5 MT of waste from 7 lakh households, catering to a population of 28 lakh people at an average of 6 MT of waste per day. The officials also stated that waste was being collected from residential buildings and commercial places that have registered with the BMC.

“We have deployed dedicated waste collection vehicles that are collecting hazardous waste items from households and commercial establishments. Upon registration, the residents get a time slot when these vehicles come and pick up the waste. We are not using the usual dumpers so as to ensure that there is proper segregation,” Kiran Dighavkar, Deputy Municipal Commissioner, told The Indian Express.

“This is not a compulsory drive so far, because we are still examining our system and countering hiccups. But in the long run, we aim to make it compulsory for citizens,” he added.

Some of the waste items being collected in the drive included sanitary napkins, diapers, tampons, condoms, and other items such as contaminated cotton, bandages, nails, expired medication, needles, razors, etc, as well as waste generated from beauty parlours and PPE kits.

According to the BMC’s data, Mumbai generates 7,000-8,000 MT of waste daily, out of which 10 per cent or 70-80 MT is sanitary or hazardous waste.

The civic body’s data shows that of the total 586.5 MT waste collected between May 1 and October 31 this year, 46 MT was collected from Goregaon in the western suburbs, followed by 43 MT from Ghatkopar, 37 MT from Malad (East), 21 MT from Sandhurst Road, Dongri, and 10 MT from Mankhurd Govandi areas. Further, the waste collection data also shows that between August and October this year, around 400 MT of waste was collected, with 151 MT collected in October, 116 in September, and 133 MT collected in August.

The waste items are being collected in yellow-coloured bags, and dispatched to plasma-based processing units. To create awareness among people about the drive, the civic team is also visiting the registered establishments.

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