Segregate waste or face penalty, NMMC tells Navi Mumbai citizens

NMMC) solid waste management department has begun levying penalties upon societies and commercial establishments not segregating waste and charging a fine of ₹250 multiplied by the number of housing units in the society

VASHI

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The brunt of anyone failing to segregate waste at source will have to be faced by a society as a whole. The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) solid waste management department has begun levying penalties upon societies and commercial establishments not segregating waste. In adherence to the Solid Waste Management and Cleanliness and Sanitation Bye laws - 2020, the civic department have begun levying a fine of ₹250 multiplied by the number of housing units in the society.

The penalty will be doubled in the event of non-segregation repeatedly. As per senior sanitary officers, in the past two months, the administration has collected nearly ₹30,000 as penalty from societies and bulk waste generators for not providing segregated waste.

“Citizens ideally should cooperate and own up to the process of providing only segregated waste so as to achieve better waste management at the landfill site. Penalising is one of the ways to get errant societies to take up waste segregation seriously,” said the DMC Solid waste management D. Rajale

In the last week itself, both the Belapur and Nerul sanitation department have levied penalties of varying amounts on two bulk waste generating societies. “A 12 storied building in sector 19, Nerul was penalized a sum of ₹3000 as despite multiple notices and even verbal instruction to provide segregated waste, there was no adherence. Ideally, every household is required to maintain separate bins for dry and wet waste, but this is not being followed. Therefore, the societies end up having mixed garbage which will not be picked up by NMMC from hereon,” said the sanitation inspector for Nerul ward, Rajendra Ingale.

The sanitation department is working out an action plan to go full throttle on getting the segregation work done at source. This includes decentralization of garbage disposal, besides focusing on the 3Rs -- Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

One of the actions to be implemented strictly is levying penalties on the society as a whole. Errant societies are being repeatedly reminded of the norms to segregate waste, and those still found taking the process lightly will henceforth be fined as well. “Over the last month itself, we have issued over 100-odd notices to societies found to be lax on waste segregation. The vehicles that are assigned with door-to-door garbage collection have also been instructed not pick up the waste if it is not segregated. Those societies already in receipt of the notices are required to take up segregation seriously or be ready to pay steep fines,” said an official from Vashi ward office.