The journey of Bengaluru’s waste

Bengaluru's hidden waste management struggles revealed as residents unknowingly contribute to landfill overflow and environmental hazards.

In the bustling tech hub of Bengaluru, residents strive to maintain pristine homes, quite unaware that their tidy spaces come at a hidden cost. The burden of keeping countless households clean and smelling fresh is quietly borne by the labour of people and the earth itself; both stretched to their limits to manage the ever-growing waste.

On the far side of the city at Mittaganahalli, about 360-370 compactors turn up every day carrying 3,200 metric tonnes of unsegregated garbage (both dry and wet) to dump at the 50-acre landfill. Located about 40 km away from the Central Business District (CBD) is the only active landfill for the mixed trash generated from 198 wards of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). The rubbish and stench may be out of people’s homes, but they travel through the city to land at Mittaganahalli.

The long journey of the muck begins from the homes around 8 a.m. every day. Even before that, workers who collect it from homes and black spots (public places where people discard garbage) gather at a designated place in every ward around 6.30 a.m., along with auto tippers, to mark their attendance. For every auto tipper, two workers are assigned: one to collect the rubbish from homes and streets and another to drive the vehicle.

The Hindu followed the journey of the trash, along with the stakeholders involved in the entire chain.

In ward number 177, on a Tuesday morning, the auto tippers dispersed to collect wet and mixed waste from homes after completing formalities. The tipper has a dedicated space to put the wet ones and two more sacks for the mixed.

BBMP rules mandate residents to segregate wet and dry garbage. While wet trash is collected daily, dry junk is picked up by vehicles handled by the Dry Waste Collection Centres thrice a week.

At a house in J.P. Nagar 3rd phase, when the worker opened the dust bin, he saw both wet and dry garbage mixed. He left the bin and moved on to another residence. Worker Ramayya (name changed) complained that despite informing the resident about the need for segregation, nothing had changed. “The simple task of dumping wet refuse in one bin and dry in another is not carried out by some residents in the area which is known to be populated by educated people,” he lamented.