Bombay High Court makes waste segregation binding

The Bombay high court has directed all municipal corporations and district councils of Maharashtra to make it mandatory for all residential complexes, hotels and restaurant to segregate garbage into dry and wet. The court also said it will help corporations to dump waste effectively in the dumping ground.

A division bench of Justice V.M. Kanade and Justice Swapana Joshi was hearing a public interest litigation filed by two Pune residents, Harshwardhan Modak and Vinod Patil.

They duo were seeking action over what they saw as the failure of the Pune Municipal Corporation and the state government to effectively dispose of solid waste generated within the city of Pune. They said it resulted in hazardous air and water pollution in the city.

“Waste should be segregated into dry and wet at the source itself. That is at residential complexes, homes and restaurants and hotels. This is the only way to tackle the issue,” Justice Kanade said.

“In Mumbai, there have been frequent cases of fire at the Deonar dumping ground. Apart from installation of solid waste disposal plants it is necessary to ensure that waste is separated and segregated at the source itself so that separating at the dumping ground becomes easier,” the court said.

The court also observed that corporators should take up this issue seriously because “they are concerned about the welfare of the people.”

The court directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and Pune Municipal Corporation to file an affidavit stating what steps they have taken towards segregation of waste into dry and wet at the source. The petition has been posted for further hearing on September 7.