Pune’s daily waste collection has risen by nearly 300 tonnes during the Dussehra-Diwali period, even as many residents leave the city for the festive holidays, according to the Pune Municipal Corporation’s Solid Waste Management Department.
The city normally collects between 2,700 and 2,800 tonnes of waste each day. During the festive season, that figure has increased to between 3,000 and 3,100 tonnes, adding approximately 200 to 300 tonnes to the municipal waste load every day.
Santosh Warule, head of PMC’s Solid Waste Management Department, said the increase is a recurring feature of the period between Dussehra and Diwali. “Waste generation generally increases during Dussehra and Diwali. On normal days, the city generates around 2,700-2,800 tonnes of waste daily. However, from Dussehra to Diwali, the quantity rises to 3,000-3,100 tonnes,” he said.
The rise has been linked to several types of seasonal waste. Households carrying out annual cleaning and renovation before Diwali discard unwanted belongings, old furniture, damaged electronic appliances and other accumulated materials. Festive shopping and decorations also add to the volume of waste collected by the civic body.
Firecracker-related waste has contributed further to the increase. Discarded firecracker paper and other materials left after celebrations form an additional part of the waste generated during the festival period.
The increase comes despite a visible reduction in the city’s population and daily activity during the holidays. Working professionals, students and families commonly travel to their hometowns, while traffic, market crowds and movement on roads decline during the festive break. However, residents who remain in Pune often undertake extensive household cleaning and purchase new goods, producing a higher volume of discarded material within a shorter period.
The seasonal pattern highlights the difference between population presence and waste generation. Fewer people on roads do not necessarily translate into less waste when consumption, household clear-outs and festival activity intensify inside homes and neighbourhoods.
For PMC, the increase creates an operational challenge for collection and street sanitation at a time when waste streams also become more varied. Alongside regular household waste, municipal teams must manage discarded furniture, electronic appliances, decoration material and firecracker remnants.
Warule said sanitation workers were prioritising the cleanliness of Pune’s roads despite the additional load. The PMC’s recorded daily collection during the festive period remains between 3,000 and 3,100 tonnes, compared with the normal daily range of 2,700 to 2,800 tonnes.
