Garbage gap: Ambitious rules, ineffective systems

Progressive targets and legislation are not enough. Pragmatic, locally grounded interventions by empowered, proactive municipalities are key to having cleaner cities

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Twenty-five years ago, on September 25, 2000, India's first Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Management Rules were introduced —born out of a Supreme Court order at the time.

Ironically, a quarter century later, courts are still pushing governments to clean up their act. Cities such as Delhi, Gurugram, and Bengaluru are struggling with garbage-strewn spaces, dysfunctional treatment facilities and overflowing landfills. Large swathes of urban India are in the throes of a solid waste crisis.

Meanwhile, the regulatory framework has since expanded with the 2016 Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, accompanied by rules on construction waste, plastic waste, e-waste, biomedical and hazardous waste. Despite a huge infrastructure push for waste management, and progress in many areas, results remain below expectations.

Now, a new draft of SWM Rules —set to take effect in October 2025 — proposes more ambitious goals: Four-way source segregation, centralised digital portal, and deeper integration of the circular economy. As we look ahead, it is essential to ask: Why did we fall short with the earlier rules?

At a fundamental level, the challenge is one of weak local governance —weak institutional capacity and leadership, poor contract management, and low public trust. However, at a domain level, a common narrative blames the lack of source segregation by households as the root of the problem. But is this assumption valid?