PMC cracks down on societies shutting on-site waste processing systems
Officials said this practice is adding to the city’s waste load, prompting additional municipal commissioner Pawneet Kaur to order a crackdown and seek action reports from all ward offices
Housing societies with more than 100 flats or those generating over 100 kg of wet waste a day are required to process waste on-site, yet many have quietly shut down their treatment units and handed over waste management to private agencies that are dumping it untreated. Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) officials said this practice is adding to the city’s waste load, prompting additional municipal commissioner Pawneet Kaur to order a crackdown and seek action reports from all ward offices.
Bulk waste generators, including large housing complexes and commercial establishments, must treat wet waste on their premises. But, several societies have stopped operating their composting or biomethanation units and are passing waste to private contractors. PMC officers said many of these agencies are either dumping the waste without processing it or diverting it back to civic waste facilities, defeating the purpose of decentralised management and increasing pressure on PMC’s machinery.
Kaur has directed ward offices to inspect these unauthorised agencies and immediately halt their waste collection and processing work. Regional offices have been asked to submit reports on inspections and action taken.
Under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 — enforced in PMC limits from December 19, 2018 — bulk waste generators producing over 100 kg of waste daily must treat their wet waste on-site through composting, vermicomposting, biomethanation or other approved methods.
PMC data shows the city has more than 1,942 bulk waste generators, most of them housing societies that are not processing wet waste at source. These establishments should collectively be treating over 20 tonnes of wet waste every day. Officials also noted that some societies continue to claim a 5% property tax rebate despite failing to follow the mandatory waste-processing norms.
