Growing frustration is palpable among Pune’s residents as civic apathy towards waste collection and disposal has triggered city-wide concern. From overflowing bins to irregular garbage pick-ups, citizens and community organisations are calling out the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) for what they allege is a systemic breakdown in the city’s solid waste management operations.
The tipping point came with the closure of the critical Kothrud garbage ramp at the Paud Road depot, which until recently handled over 300 tonnes of waste daily. The shutdown—done to facilitate land transfer for the Pune Metro project—has left Kothrud and surrounding neighbourhoods grappling with mounting trash and no immediate contingency plan from PMC.
Residents from areas like Karve Road, Paud Road and parts of Erandwane report that garbage trucks now take longer routes to distant waste processing facilities, leading to significant delays in waste collection. The result: uncollected garbage lining city streets and pavements, posing health and hygiene concerns during the pre-monsoon spell.
A civic advocacy group, Sajag Nagrik Manch (SNM), has voiced strong protest against the situation. In a formal communication to the PMC Commissioner, the group demanded urgent revival of all garbage ramps and full-capacity operation of waste processing plants. According to SNM representatives, PMC’s claim of treating all waste generated within the city contradicts the ground reality of visible garbage heaps across key localities.“Either the plants are not working at full capacity or the waste is not even reaching them,” said one SNM representative. “This scale of mismanagement is unsustainable in a city producing over 2,400 metric tonnes of garbage daily.”
Local residents echo similar sentiments. A Kothrud-based citizen highlighted an increase in roadside dumping and irregularities in garbage van visits. “PMC needs to act with urgency and transparency. What we are seeing is not a technical glitch but a breakdown of urban governance,” he said.An official from PMC’s solid waste management department confirmed that since the closure of the Kothrud ramp in May, trucks are being diverted to Aundh, Ghole Road, Urali, and Katraj ramps. This re-routing, however, has led to a drop in the frequency of trips made by garbage vans, exacerbating the backlog.
According to internal estimates, nearly 50 small- and mid-capacity vehicles used to deposit waste daily at the Kothrud facility. The absence of an equally efficient alternative has caused operational stress across the waste management system.The crisis has also drawn criticism from elected representatives. A Member of Parliament raised concerns about the lack of citizen consultation in key civic decisions. “People in Kothrud are facing daily inconvenience. The situation at Sus, where public opposition halted a waste plant, and now this—PMC’s handling of waste infrastructure is reactionary and opaque.”
Questions have also been raised about the functional status of other processing units. The plant in Hadapsar is reportedly closed, the Dhayari unit is non-operational, and Sus operates below optimal capacity—casting doubt on PMC’s capacity to manage citywide waste efficiently.In peripheral areas and recently merged villages, the situation is equally grim. Former corporators note that roadside garbage accumulation has become routine due to inconsistent municipal pickups and illegal dumping, which enforcement squads have failed to contain.
Officials claim citizen behaviour also plays a part. “People continue to dump waste openly despite appeals and fines,” said a civic official. “Our resources are limited and citizen cooperation is crucial.”While the PMC maintains that alternatives are being explored, the lack of immediate solutions has left residents disillusioned. As Pune aspires to scale up its urban liveability index and invest in sustainable city models, the gaps in basic civic services like waste management threaten to derail progress.
For now, what’s clear is that unless the PMC overhauls its waste logistics—both in infrastructure and accountability—the city’s growing garbage woes will continue to undermine public confidence and urban sustainability goals.
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