The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has told the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that it aims to achieve 100% waste segregation at source by January 2027, setting an ambitious timeline to overhaul the capital’s solid waste management system. According to data submitted by the civic body for December 2025, Delhi is currently recording 60% segregation at source, with targets to reach 85% by February-end, 90% by August and complete segregation by early next year.
In its submission dated February 16, the MCD stated that improving segregation at the household level is key to phasing out dhalaos open garbage collection points that have long drawn complaints from residents. Of the 1,494 dhalaos in the city, 985 have already been shut down. The corporation also cited 678 “zero-waste” colonies and institutions as examples of progress toward decentralised waste management.
Plan to Make Delhi Dhalao-Free
The MCD informed the National Green Tribunal that operational dhalaos currently function as secondary segregation or storage points before waste is transported by private concessionaires for final processing. It argued that eliminating these collection points depends largely on ensuring effective segregation at source in compliance with the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.
The tribunal has been hearing a plea filed last year by a Vasant Vihar resident who alleged that an overflowing dhalao near her home caused foul odour and posed a public health risk. The case has brought renewed scrutiny to the city’s waste management practices.
To meet its goals, the MCD has suggested that residents’ welfare associations (RWAs) assist by ensuring proper doorstep segregation, which would reduce the burden on secondary sorting facilities and speed up final disposal.
Ground Reality Raises Doubts
Despite the civic body’s claims, waste management experts have expressed skepticism over the reported 60% segregation figure. Bharati Chaturvedi, founder of the NGO Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group, questioned whether the city has achieved such a level of compliance, citing lack of supervision, incentives and accountability.
Atul Goyal, head of URJA a federation representing over 2,500 RWAs said most neighbourhoods continue to see mixed waste being transported in single collection trucks. He stressed that achieving full segregation within 10 months would require comprehensive training for sanitation workers and sustained awareness campaigns for households across Delhi.
The debate highlights the persistent gap between policy targets and on-ground implementation in India’s capital. As Delhi pushes toward its January 2027 deadline, the success of the initiative will likely depend not just on civic announcements, but on behavioural change, monitoring mechanisms and consistent enforcement at the grassroots level.