Gurugram civic body to curb waste disposal in vacant plots

MCG officials also said that there are around 600 BWGs that employ private garbage collectors to lift garbage from their premises, the disposal and processing of which is largely unaccounted for, and results in piles of garbage being dumped illegally in vacant areas

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) will now closely monitor waste disposal in residential, commercial, and industrial establishments that hire private contractors for garbage collection. MCG has realised that a lot of them dump waste in vacant plots which is a practice the civic body now plans to curb, officials said on Tuesday.

Garbage being burnt along NH48 , in Gurugram on Tuesday. To overcome this, close monitoring will be done to fine violators and ensure waste collection, disposal, and processing system are adhered to, as per norms, said officials. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

“Bulk waste generators (BWGs) that are not covered by Ecogreen (MCG’s concessionaire) will have to declare the ways waste is transported and subsequently processed after it is collected by the respective private garbage collectors. Post-declaration, nine teams from MCG’s sanitation wing will visit such establishments across the city and verify whether the waste is being collected, disposed, and processed properly and issue penalties if not,” said a senior MCG official who attended Monday’s meeting.

The matter was brought up during an internal MCG meeting held at the civic body’s Sector 34 office on Monday evening, following which officials were asked to closely monitor BWGs.

Any establishment, such as a condominium, society, township, mall, school, college, bank, hospital, industry, banquet hall, hotel, restaurant, religious area, factory, and mill that produces over 50 kilograms of waste per day is considered a bulk waste generator.

According to MCG officials, there are over 1,800 BWGs in the city, of which 1,200 are covered by Ecogreen.

MCG officials also said that there are around 600 BWGs that employ private garbage collectors to lift garbage from their premises, the disposal and processing of which is largely unaccounted for, and results in piles of garbage being dumped illegally in vacant areas.

To overcome this, close monitoring will be done to fine violators and ensure waste collection, disposal, and processing system are adhered to, as per norms, said officials.

If a BWG flouts norms, it can be penalised for an amount upto ₹25,000.

The MCG official quoted above also said that teams from the sanitation wing will also be responsible for encouraging BWGs to get their waste collected from the MCG’s concessionaire for a nominal fee instead of paying high sums to private garbage collectors.

According to the norms, in a BWG, wet waste needs to be processed into compost on-site or transported to a nearby site for the purpose, while segregated dry waste needs to be handed over to authorised waste collectors, said officials.

“According to the Solid Waste Management Rules 2016, it is mandatory for the bulk waste generators located within MCG limits to dispose of the waste they generate at their own level. If anyone disobeys these rules, then action will be taken against them according to guidelines, in which there is a provision of heavy fine,” said Dr Vaishali Sharma, additional municipal commissioner, MCG.

Sharma who chaired Monday’s meeting on sanitation also directed officials to seize vehicles of private garbage collectors found to be dumping waste illegally, lodge FIRs against them, as well as serve a notice to the BWG concerned.