Pune: Strict enforcement of Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026 from Aug 15 will make four-way waste segregation mandatory for all households, commercial establishments and housing societies in Pimpri Chinchwad.Under the revised rules, waste generators must maintain separate bins or storage bags for wet, dry, sanitary and special-care waste. Bulk waste generators, including housing societies with 100 kg or more of solid waste a day, are spread over 20,000 sqm, or consume 40,000 litres or more of water daily, must process biodegradable and horticultural waste on their premises through composting or biomethanation.A senior PCMC official said the revised rules, in line with Supreme Court directions, will be implemented strictly from Aug 15. “Any establishment that fails to comply will face action,” the official said.Pradip Thengal, deputy municipal commissioner and head of PCMC’s health department, said the revised rules expand mandatory segregation from two or three categories to four. “Now, all waste generators must segregate waste into four categories, and there will be strict enforcement,” he said.Thengal said proper segregation is crucial for efficient waste processing. “Each category of waste requires a different processing technology and treatment facility. Segregated waste can be transported directly to the appropriate processing plant for an efficient system,” he said.Civic officials said strict segregation forms the backbone of PCMC’s plan to decentralise waste management and establish multiple processing facilities across the city, reducing dependence on a single disposal site in Moshi. Municipal commissioner Vijay Suryawanshi had earlier told the general body that the civic body would identify land in each of its 10 wards to set up decentralised waste processing plants.Meanwhile, waste disposal is a struggle after the Moshi site was shut following the July 8 landfill collapse in which nine people died. Dehu Cantonment, which had temporarily accepted the city’s waste for five to six days, has stopped doing so.Currently, a part of the city’s waste is transported to Khadki Cantonment’s dumping ground, while most of it is taken to temporary open sites identified by the officials from the health department. The arrangement is unsustainable and has put the city’s waste management system under severe strain. The environment department has not yet decided about reopening the Moshi depot.
