In a bid to address the growing problem of Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste in Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is planning to set up a new C&D debris processing plant at the Deonar dumpsite. The proposed facility will have a capacity to process 1,000 metric tonnes of waste daily. Tenders for the project are expected to be floated in early April.
Mumbai currently generates around 8,500 metric tonnes of waste every day, a significant portion of which is C&D debris. This has led to increasing instances of unauthorised debris dumping and dust pollution from uncovered waste. BMC data reveals that 1,373 cases of illegal C&D dumping were reported between January and December 2024, with penalties amounting to ₹72.10 lakh imposed on violators.
To manage the growing waste, BMC last year commissioned two new C&D processing plants in Dahisar and Shilphata, with a combined capacity of 600 metric tonnes per day. However, despite these efforts, Mumbai continues to face a massive shortfall in debris processing. The two existing plants are currently handling only 1,200 metric tonnes daily, leaving over 7,000 metric tonnes unprocessed every day.
The civic body collects C&D waste through its ‘Debris-on-Call’ initiative, where citizens can request debris collection, and also clears unclaimed debris dumped across the city. However, a large amount of waste still remains untreated, with much of it being illegally dumped outside city limits by builders.
To bridge this gap, the BMC plans to establish a third processing unit at Deonar, aimed at significantly enhancing the city’s debris management capacity. Senior officials said that tenders for the new plant will be issued next month.
“Despite the establishment of two processing plants, a majority of the C&D waste is still dumped illegally or outside the city. Our goal is to ensure all C&D waste generated within Mumbai is scientifically treated. The upcoming Deonar plant is a step in that direction,” an official said.
The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) has allocated ₹49.61 crore to the BMC for developing C&D processing infrastructure. The funding will be used for the new Deonar plant. Additionally, to encourage more citizens and builders to use the debris collection service, the civic body is considering reducing the pickup charge to ₹200 per tonne.
