Mumbai: BMC is exploring ways to make its Solid Waste Management (SWM) operations generate significantly more revenue, including by introducing user fees for bulk waste generators, as the civic body’s earnings from waste management remain far below the target set for the year.Recently the civic finance department has asked the SWM department to work towards implementing user fees under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2025, and set a revenue target for the current financial year. However, the civic body is yet to finalise how the proposed fee will be collected from bulk waste generators. One option under consideration is to charge generators based on the quantity of waste processed — potentially on a per-tonne basis — under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework referred to in the SWM rules.Another possibility is to levy charges on bulk generators that process their waste themselves. BMC officials said the issue is still being deliberated and a mechanism for calculating and collecting the fee has not yet been finalised. The department has been assigned a revenue target of Rs 347.23 crore for 2026-27, but had collected only Rs 29.77 crore by July 31, barely 9% of the annual target.The finance department has flagged that the SWM department’s actual revenue has shown only modest growth in recent years — Rs 46.77 crore in 2023-24, Rs 46.57 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 55.55 crore in 2025-26 — and said targeted measures are needed to increase collections.BMC in its budget for the fiscal year 2025-26, had proposed levying a user fee on solid waste the city generates. Mumbai generates a massive 8000 metric tons of solid waste daily which is taken largely to Kanjurmarg and a small amount to Deonar. The corporation may get an income of approximately Rs. 687 crores from user fee it is estimated.The focus waste-related charges also comes against the backdrop of mounting financial commitments. BMC has committed Rs 2.44 lakh crore towards various infrastructure projects and has increasingly relied on internal borrowings to meet capital expenditure. The finance department has warned that BMC may have to turn to external financial institutions for funding in the coming years, adding to its interest and principal repayment burden.BMC officials pointed out that neighbouring cities such as Pune already levy charges related to solid waste management, and said Mumbai too needs to examine ways of recovering at least part of the cost of processing waste.
