Mumbai Gets a Clean Sweep: BMC Rolls Out Special Pickup for Personal Waste

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has introduced a special waste collection service for sanitary pads, diapers, expired medicines, and beauty salon waste, starting registration on April 22 and collection from May 1, 2025. Housing societies, hostels, and salons can register via QR codes or online links to receive yellow-coloured bags for segregated hazardous waste, which contributes to 70-80 tonnes of Mumbai’s daily 8,000-tonne garbage output. The initiative aims to protect sanitation workers from health risks as a result of mixed waste with regular trash. Awareness drives will educate citizens on segregation, while NGOs assist in taking the service to 5,000 societies to start with. In a parallel development, BMC's 2025 sanitation bylaws propose user charges (₹100–₹1,000 per month) for waste collection and increased fines for littering, with a view to ₹600–700 crore in annual revenue Sources: Mid-Day, Hindustan Times, Times of India