Aswachh Mumbai – The Problem Of Poor Waste Management

Mumbai, often celebrated for its vibrant culture and economic prowess, is currently grappling with a significant waste management crisis.

In 2025, the city generated approximately 8,761 metric tons of refuse daily, with 72.60% comprising food waste.

Additionally, the city’s construction and demolition (C&D) waste reached 8,761 metric tonnes per day in 2025, keeping pace with the daily solid waste generation.

Mumbai is the city of glitz and glamour; of highrises and plush hotels and housing complexes, of bars and exotic restaurants, of soaring real estate values, of gilded star homes at Bandra and Juhu, of swanky cars and malls and international brands, etc.

But underneath all that jazz, Mumbai grapples with a giant problem- solid waste management.

The city’s faring poorly when it comes to handling proper, hygienic disposal of human and kitchen refuse.

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Mumbai generates approximately 7,500 metric tons of solid waste daily.

Alarmingly, only 73% of this waste is processed, while the rest ends up in overflowing landfills or the Arabian Sea.

Any number of factors might be responsible for this.

One may be Mumbai’s burgeoning population- as of March 2025, Mumbai has 22 million strong people.

So many people generate a high amount of waste.

Another may be poorly equipped sewage treatment plants and inefficient methods of waste disposal.

Maybe the waste management machinery is not being managed in a cost-effective, eco-friendly manner.

Maybe it is being overwhelmed by the inordinate amount of waste being generated by Mumbaikars.

To put things into perspective, the Deonar and Kanjurmarg dumping grounds—Mumbai’s primary landfill sites—are already operating beyond their capacity, with some waste piles reaching up to 18 meters high, equivalent to a six-story building.

Also, one reason may be the lack of toilets in slums and shanties, leading to open defecation.

Mumbai releases around 2100 million litres a day of human waste into the Arabian Sea.

This is nearly 7025 in tonnes.

In 2022, a study revealed that Mumbai’s coastline had some of the highest microplastic pollution levels in the world, with major beaches like Juhu and Versova being heavily littered.

Also, Mumbai’s coast is the most polluted in the world, according to a global study.

The city’s beaches were also found to have large amounts of littered debris.

To make matters worse, 25% of sewage comes from the city’s slums.

These are not connected to Mumbai’s 1915 km sewerage and, therefore, flow untreated into nullahs and creeks.

Untreated waste is harmful in umpteen ways- it’s unsanitary, it causes odour problems and air and water pollution, and it breeds pathogenic microbes that may cause infectious diseases in city residents.

Every monsoon, we hear spiraling cases of leptospirosis and the chikungunya scare from a few years ago.

This is all due to untreated waste in water bodies.

What is the solution, then?

How to make the city’s waste disposal systems more efficient?

How to make sure that all waste is treated and disposed of properly?

Organica Biotech, a Mumbai-based Top 20 Environmental Biotechnology company, might provide some answers.

Organica provides eco-friendly products made of handpicked microbes, which degrade waste into harmless products efficiently.

It has a one-stop solution for sewage treatment and management.

Also Read:

• The Environmental Impact Of Untreated Waste (Or Why Do We Have To Swim To Work During The Rains)
• Why Is It Important To Treat Waste On-Site
• India’s Gigantic Problem Of Solid Waste
• A Review Of Solid Waste Management
• Negative Effects of Improper Solid Waste Disposal on Human Health
• What Are The Different Solid Waste Management Techniques