Delhi will deploy 1,000 battery-operated mechanical litter-picking machines across all 250 Municipal Corporation of Delhi wards as the city seeks to address a daily waste-generation and processing gap, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said while inaugurating a waste transfer station in Sarita Vihar on Saturday.
Gupta said the national capital generates nearly 15,000 metric tonnes of waste every day, while only 6,000-7,000 metric tonnes could earlier be processed. She said the shortfall had contributed to the growth of Delhi’s landfill sites and described waste management as a major challenge for the city.
The government has flagged off 50 machines in the first phase. Of the 1,000 machines planned for the MCD, 150 have arrived and the remaining units are expected to be delivered within the next month, according to a government statement. The machines are intended to collect small pieces of litter from roads and public spaces and support routine cleaning operations.
The government has also provided funds for 100 mechanical sweeping machines. In the South-East Zone, approval has been granted for 428 auto-tippers, 128 e-rickshaws and 25 Tata 407 vehicles for door-to-door collection. The equipment package also includes 27 refuse compactors, five additional refuse compactors, 30 hook loaders and 100 compactor bins.
The zone has additionally received 1,500 steel dustbins, 300 high-density polyethylene dustbins and 10 tipper trucks for transporting horticultural waste. The government said it was providing the MCD with machinery, equipment and funds to strengthen sanitation services, with the stated aim of processing and disposing of waste generated each day on the same day.
Gupta said the government was working on a long-term waste-management plan covering the next 15 to 30 years. Measures under consideration include setting up new waste-to-energy plants, expanding existing facilities, establishing e-waste centres and installing biogas plants to process cow dung.
The programme also includes separate collection arrangements for specific waste streams. The government has set up Arpan centres near metro stations to collect unwanted clothes for reuse and recycling. It is planning immersion kiosks across all 250 MCD wards for broken idols and puja materials, with around 100 kiosks already established, according to the Chief Minister’s address.
Gupta urged residents to use designated collection facilities for unwanted clothes and religious materials instead of mixing them with regular household waste. Delhi Mayor Pravesh Wahi asked residents to segregate wet and dry waste, hand over household garbage through designated collection systems and avoid littering public places.
The announcement places mechanical collection, ward-level equipment and waste segregation alongside processing capacity in the city’s sanitation programme. The government said the remaining litter-picking machines would be delivered within the next month, while the proposed processing and treatment facilities form part of its longer-term plan.
