Mumbai: BMC’s push to tighten control over disposal of construction and demolition (C&D) waste appears to be yielding results. Of the 32,043 tonnes of such debris collected in April—when the civic body notified a new standard operating procedure (SOP) mandating disposal through its autoDCR-linked monitoring system—14,125 tonnes reached the city’s two authorised recycling plants.This amounts to almost 500 tonnes per day, said a BMC official. “While the quantum may appear to be small, we are expecting it to increase gradually over time. Also, this means 14,000 tonnes of C&D debris reached the correct spots instead of being disposed of haphazardly.”The new SOP of routing such debris through the autoDCR system, implemented under Construction & Demolition Waste Management Rules, came into effect on April 9.Mumbai generates around 8,000 tonnes of C&D waste daily due to redevelopment projects, Metro construction, road concretisation and large-scale excavation works. On an average, 432 tonnes of debris was collected every day from April 2025-March 2026. Civic officials acknowledged that illegal dumping of debris in mangroves, nullahs, as well as on roadsides and open plots has become a growing environmental concern, contributing to flooding risks, dust pollution and deteriorating air quality.The civic body’s AutoDCR (automatic development control regulations) system is a digital platform used to scrutinise and process building proposals online. It was introduced to reduce manual intervention and speed up approvals. The platform has now been integrated with processes such as C&D waste tracking and requires all project proponents to submit a detailed waste management plan, specifying quantities of demolition, excavation and construction waste. Disposal is being permitted only at authorised recycling facilities or designated sites, such as in Deonar, with transportation outside city limits barred.Mumbai has two civic-run C&D waste recycling plants in Dahisar and Shilphata, each with a processing capacity of 600 tonnes per day. Another 1,600-tonnes plant has been planned in Deonar. Data shows that since the two recycling facilities became operational in 2024, around 3.3 lakh tonnes of C&D waste has been collected, of which nearly 2.11 lakh tonnes has already been processed.The civic body is preparing to launch a dedicated digital portal for C&D waste management—modelled on Delhi’s ‘Malba portal’—likely next week, which officials expect will lead to a sharp increase in the quantum of debris processed in these plants. The proposed platform will allow residents, contractors and developers to schedule debris pickups, register transport vehicles and digitally track movement of waste material through vehicle tracking management systems. “Every debris vehicle will be tracked through the portal. The idea is to create a fully accountable and technology-enabled waste disposal ecosystem,” an official said.
