Around 6 km from the bustling DLF Cyberhub in Gurgaon’s Sector 23A. Here, residents wake up daily to an unpleasant sight — and smell. The area around their homes, which have come up in Carterpuri village, is littered with garbage.The residents of plots that cost Rs 3 crore or more cannot escape the stench — especially when the wind blows.The area where the housing colony is located is among the 186 “garbage vulnerable points” identified by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) — locations where waste is consistently dumped but is rarely collected.Last month, as part of the enforcement of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026 — which came into effect on April 1 — the MCG had asked Sector 23A to register as a bulk waste generator (BWG).Under these Rules, BWGs are required to process wet waste on the premises and ensure the collection, segregation, and transportation of solid waste — either independently or through empanelled agencies — to secondary collection points.But residents have resisted the move, arguing that the MCG needs to set its house in order first.“Their (MCG’s) own bins are often overfilled or turned upside down…and are unusable. No one wants to live with a constant stench, so there will be resistance if waste- processing units come up near their homes,” said Bhawani Shankar Tripathy, general secretary of the sector’s Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA).Story continues below this adAccording to Tripathy, RWAs, especially of the sectors under the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), lack the capacity to function as BWGs without the necessary support.“Land, electricity, personnel and infrastructure will be needed. The policy says urban local bodies will not provide finances but other support. So why not manage waste processing at the ward level undera councillor instead of burdening the RWAs?” he asked.Tripathy maintained that there is ambiguity over the definition of “premises” — whether it includes non-gated communities, along with village and HSVP plots. Also, there is lack of clarity on user fees once BWGs are implemented, Tripathy said.“We (RWAs) are a voluntary body, not an authority to direct residents to segregate waste. Even placing bins risks turning a site into a dumping spot. Residents don’t want even leaf composting near their homes, forget wet waste processing,” he said.Story continues below this ad Suncity township off Golf Course Road has been a bulk waste generator (BWG) under the solid Waste Management Rules for more than two years now. (Express Photo by Abhinav Saha)However, some societies have demonstrated that decentralised waste management is possible – although at a cost.Suncity township off Golf Course Road, which has registered as a BWG, operates a biogas plant to treat wet waste and composting pits for horticulture waste.“We have a biogas plant to treat wet waste, and we spend Rs 45,000 per month to operate it. For horticultural waste, we have pits for composting… We use the produce to maintain our 16 parks and two central verges, along with nurseries. We spend Rs 67,000 per month on it, including diesel expenses and pruning. Also, Rs 93,000 is spent on door-to-door collection of waste every month. In the last three years, we have processed 4 lakh kg of wet waste,” RWA chairperson Kusum Sharma said.Acknowledging that community bins often become dumpyards, Sharma said residents of Suncity keep their waste at home until it is collected.A highrise society in East Gurgaon recently received a show-cause notice from the Haryana State Pollution Control Board for alleged non-compliance with BWG norms. It was asked to take corrective measures to segregate and recycle waste, while processing the waste onsite.Story continues below this adResidents of the society, however, complained of the lack of coordination among agencies within the MCG. “On the one hand, we have no idea what the MCG does with hazardous waste, where they are incinerated and how recycling of dry waste is done. On the other, pressure is being put on us despite us having complied with norms, while MCG conducts annual inspections… The pollution control board could have easily accessed the details they have sought from the MCG portal,” said a resident, requesting anonymity.The push for compliance has come following scrutiny by the MCG. In February, citing orders of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on the illegal dumping of waste in Haryana, the MCG had directed that BWGs, institutions or agencies causing environmental damage, would be fined Rs 25,000 for the first offence and Rs 50,000 for the second violation. General (non-bulk) littering would attract a fine of Rs 5,000 for the first offence and Rs 10,000 for the second.These fines would be imposed on the spot by authorised officers. If the guilty person or institution failed to deposit the fine, the amount would be recovered as land revenue arrears, officials said. The fines collected would be utilised by the MCG to improve solid waste management and processing in the city.Between January 1 and February 3 this year, 36 cases of burning garbage in the open have led to fines totalling Rs 1.8 lakh. For dumping construction and demolition (C&D) waste in public places, 57 challans have been issued, leading to the recovery of Rs 13.05 lakh. Another 32 cases of littering in public places have attracted Rs 1.6 lakh in penalties.Story continues below this ad The number gameChaitali Mandhotra, co-convener of United Gurugram RWAs, an umbrella body of more than 60 residents’ associations, said they have been encouraging their members to apply as BWGs. “Nothing can be better for the environment than registering as BWGs, but societies, especially older ones, need handholding and support from the government. Even if a sector arranges its own finances, some sort of maintenance should be provided by the government/ civic body. Else, there will be registrations on paper — and perhaps only around 30% of waste will be actually processed,” Mandhotra said.MCG Additional Commissioner Ravinder Yadav told The Indian Express that compliance would be strictly enforced when it comes to sectors/ societies registering as BWGs. “Rules are rules. We are running awareness campaigns and will support RWAs, but they will have to comply — either on their own or through empanelled agencies,” he said. “In the first phase for BWG registration, we are focusing on gated societies. In the next phase, plotted colonies will be brought in. At present, around 2,500 institutional BWGs are registered,” he added.Maintaining that field audits of agencies which will handle BWGs are already underway, Yadav said, “Our joint commissioner (Swachh Bharat Mission) is conducting field visits to audit preparedness and readiness of such agencies. Any sector not complying with the rules will face strict action.”As per current norms, the agencies selected to handle BWGs will initially be empanelled for three years, officials said.Story continues below this ad“Subject to satisfactory performance and fulfilment of conditions, it can be extended for another two years. No extension will be granted after the total period of five years, though the agency will be eligible to apply afresh. The empanelment can be terminated at any time due to unsatisfactory performance or administrative reasons,” an official said.The agencies must ensure 100% door-to-door collection of only segregated waste, officials said. In cases where an agency is unable to process the waste on its own, it will have to enter into an agreement with an authorised recycler. The waste has to be transported in GPS-equipped covered vehicles with separate, colour-coded compartments for different types of waste.Officials said agencies may set up waste processing units on BWG premises, or build their own composting centres or solid waste processing units, which must have weighbridges and fire safety systems, and be compliant with environmental norms.The city’s waste management system has been in a limbo since June 2024, when the contract of the agency responsible for door-to-door collection, transportation and processing of municipal solid waste was terminated due to inefficiency. Since then, MCG officials acknowledged, the city has been relying upon a range of stopgap arrangements — often involving informal migrant labour hired by contractors.Story continues below this adThe RWAs, meanwhile, have been making their own arrangements for door-to-door collection of garbage, which is sent to secondary collection points by such labourers.Last June, the MCG had planned to issue four zone-wise tenders for doorstep waste collection by agencies/ contractors, against an earlier practice where a single agency was responsible. Prior to that, the civic body had thought of hiring two or three agencies, officials said.According to officials, on April 2, the MCG received administrative approval for a door-to-door (D2D) waste collection proposal, and a tender will be floated soon.The plan proposes two agencies to manage Gurgaon’s four municipal zones for five years, with 800 vehicles, including e-rickshaws for narrow lanes. At present, the MCG collects waste free of charge from households, using 330 vehicles.Story continues below this ad“Garbage vulnerable points will be eliminated with the help of the D2D tender. In tandem, with legacy waste processing underway, the size of the Bandhwari landfill will start reducing. Vehicles will ensure door-to-door collection and transportation to secondary points,” Yadav said.This would address the frequent complaints of garbage accumulation in the streets and public spaces, he added.In line with the proposed tender, the MCG has launched a month-long ‘Intensive Sanitation Drive’ from April 1 to strengthen cleanliness systems and ensure higher sanitation standards across the city, civic officials said.According to an order issued by MCG Commissioner Pradeep Dahiya, the campaign focuses on “elimination of garbage vulnerable points, effective mechanised and manual road sweeping, regular cleaning of internal roads, markets and public places, as well as proper disposal of garden waste”. Dahiya had earlier said that Gurgaon generates around 1,200 tonnes of waste daily, around 40% of which comes from BWGs.Officials said that as per MCG’s action plan, the target is to clear 16 lakh metric tonnes of fresh and legacy waste at the Bandhwari landfill by March 2027. “Two agencies have been appointed, and they have started work recently on processing legacy waste,” Yadav said. The agencies have been tasked with processing 400 tonnes per day in the current quarter, with the capacity set to increase to 1,600 tonnes per day by the end of the year, officials said.