MCD ties up with IIT Delhi to push ‘zero waste to landfill’ goal

New Delhi: Under mounting pressure over rising garbage heaps and overflowing landfills, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has partnered with the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) to overhaul the capital’s waste management system through scientific planning, technology-driven solutions and greater citizen participation.

Under the collaboration, IIT Delhi will help prepare a comprehensive citywide and ward-level solid waste management plan aligned with the Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2026, and the goal of “zero waste to landfill”.

Delhi currently generates around 12,500 tonnes of municipal solid waste daily, while existing waste processing infrastructure remains inadequate to handle the volume efficiently, officials said.

The initiative comes amid increased focus on implementing the SWM Rules, 2026, which mandate four-stream source segregation, scientific processing of waste, decentralised waste management systems, and stricter accountability for bulk waste generators (BWGs).

MCD commissioner Sanjeev Khirwar, speaking to TOI, said the city could no longer depend on landfills as its primary waste disposal solution.

“We cannot continue to rely on landfills as Delhi’s primary solution for waste disposal. This collaboration with IIT Delhi marks a significant shift towards scientific, technology-driven and sustainable waste management in the capital,” he said.

“Our focus is to ensure segregation at source, decentralised processing and maximum reduction of waste reaching landfill sites. With IIT Delhi’s technical expertise, we aim to build a transparent, accountable and future-ready waste management system that actively involves citizens, RWAs, bulk waste generators and sanitation workers,” Khirwar added.

The project will initially run for six months, with monitoring and handholding activities continuing for up to a year. The estimated cost is Rs 1.94 crore, covering survey work, stakeholder engagement, technology facilitation, training programmes and institutional overheads.

The collaboration seeks to address gaps across the waste management chain, including collection, segregation, transportation, scientific processing, landfill reduction and integration of the informal waste sector.

As part of the initiative, IIT Delhi will carry out GIS-based inventorisation and mapping of waste generation across the city, collect data on BWGs through surveys and secondary sources, assess infrastructure gaps, identify vulnerable garbage points and recommend suitable waste collection and processing systems.

In addition, IIT Delhi will help frame standard operating procedures (SOPs), develop digital monitoring systems and design frameworks for third-party audits of BWGs and decentralised processing facilities.

Officials estimate that nearly 30% of Delhi’s municipal solid waste could eventually be processed at the source level under the proposed framework.

The project will also focus on stakeholder engagement and capacity building involving municipal officials, sanitation workers, resident welfare associations (RWAs), concessionaires, waste pickers, schools and colleges. Awareness campaigns, information, education and communication (IEC) material, youth engagement programmes and innovation-led hackathons will be organised to promote sustainable waste management practices and citizen participation.