Gurugram sends 2,000 tonnes of garbage to Bandhwari every day. A mountain grows in the Aravallis.
Bandhwari landfill — 40 metres tall, 30 acres wide — sits inside an ecologically sensitive zone. Door-to-door collection has fallen from 98% to 59% in three years, and waste segregation has collapsed to just 10%.
2,000 TPD
Tonnes of waste received at Bandhwari daily — nearly double its design capacity of 1,200 TPD
10%
Waste segregation rate in 2024–25, down from 97% in 2022–23 (Newslaundry investigation, Nov 2025)
70+
Landfill fires at Bandhwari between March–June 2024, producing toxic fumes near Aravalli forest
The challenge
A broken system hidden behind headline numbers
Despite Gurugram claiming 41st position nationally in Swachh Survekshan 2024–25 and a reported 98% processing rate, an independent investigation found door-to-door collection had dropped to 59% and segregation had collapsed to just 10% over three years. Material Recovery Facilities were found locked or functioning as open dumps. Bandhwari’s toxic leachate is contaminating Aravalli groundwater with iron, manganese, boron, and chlorides far above drinking water standards. Supreme Court and NGT orders since 2015 remain substantially unenforced.
Waste composition entering Bandhwari (2025)
25% plastic
Also: 40% food/wet waste, 11% paper, 10% inert. Plastic is the primary fire risk and bulk contributor.
IAmGurgaon dry waste diverted (2022–June 2024)
1.75 lakh kg
Kept out of landfill via community dry waste collection units across Gurugram
Waste-to-energy plant at Bandhwari
25 MW — delayed
MCG + Eco Green Energy. Original deadline Dec 2023; delayed to Dec 2024. Commissioning status pending.
Annual waste growth rate
5% per year
City generates 1,200–1,500 TPD within limits. Per capita growth: 1.33% p.a. (MCG data)
What’s being done · What you can do
Monitoring · Advocating · How you can help
Tracking Gurugram’s waste
- CPCB and NEERI periodically test Bandhwari groundwater — results on CPCB portal
- People for Aravallis has geo-tagged 50+ illegal dump sites across the Aravalli belt
- Swachh Survekshan ranking — though self-reported accuracy is now publicly contested
- MCG tracks 3,000+ bulk waste generators across commercial and institutional categories
Policy & campaign action
- Why Waste Your Waste — successfully expedited MCG notifications on waste burning and C&D waste
- NCR Waste Matters — 2,800-member community sharing segregation best practices
- GurgaonFirst pushes for functional MRFs and verified, ward-level SWM performance data
- NGT petitions on Bandhwari fires, leachate, and Aravalli damage (ongoing since 2015)
Citizen action
- Segregate wet, dry, and hazardous waste at source — every household, every day
- Use IAmGurgaon’s dry waste collection units (Sector 44, DLF Phase 2, and others)
- Never burn leaves or waste — report burning to MCG: 1800-180-1817
- Compost your wet waste at home — contact NCR Waste Matters for a starter guide
⚠ What more is needed
Gurugram needs verifiable, third-party SWM audits — not self-reported Swachh rankings. Bandhwari must be capped, remediated, and its legacy waste cleared under Supreme Court and NGT supervision. The city needs 10+ functional Material Recovery Facilities, decentralised composting at RWA level, and a real-time public dashboard showing daily collection, segregation, and processing rates per ward.
Your waste is your responsibility — and your opportunity.
Find your nearest dry waste drop point, learn to compost at home, and join the campaign to fix Bandhwari.