New Delhi: Delhi three major landfill sites at Okhla, Bhalswa and Ghazipur have visibly reduced in height as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) accelerates efforts to clear decades-old waste through biomining. However, residents and waste management experts have raised concerns that fresh garbage continues to accumulate at and around the sites creating new waste piles even as the old mountains are brought down.
Delhi generates around 11,000 to 12,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste every day. This makes the disposal of fresh waste a major challenge even as authorities work to remove legacy waste accumulated over several decades.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta recently said that 217.17 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste had been biomined in about 1.5 years and that 100 acres of landfill land had been reclaimed. The government has set a target of completing legacy waste clearance at Okhla and Bhalswa by the end of 2026 while Ghazipur has been given a December 2027 deadline.
Biomining involves excavating old, compacted garbage and passing it through large screening machines called trommels. These machines separate soil like material, construction debris, plastic, textiles, rubber and other waste fractions, which can then be reused, recycled, processed or disposed of separately.
According to the Delhi Economic Survey, 74.11 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste was cleared between April 2025 and February 2026, described as the highest annual processing achieved so far. Earlier, 29.93 lakh metric tonnes was cleared in 2024-25 and 54.34 lakh metric tonnes in 2023-24.
However, data also shows that the total amount cited by the Delhi government includes work carried out before the current BJP government took office. A June 2022 survey estimated that the three major landfills contained about 203 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste. By March 2025, around 106.17 lakh metric tonnes had been cleared.
Okhla has shown the most visible change. Its garbage mound has significantly reduced in size, helped by its relatively smaller scale and proximity to a waste processing facility. Residents in nearby Tehkhand village say the reduction has improved visibility and reduced some of the foul smell and mosquito nuisance.
Ghazipur, however, remains a major challenge. The landfill was around 70 acres in area and 65 metres high when biomining began in 2019. Bhalswa covered about 36 acres and stood 62 metres high while Okhla covered 46 acres and was approximately 40 metres high.
MCD officials say all three landfill mounds have reduced by roughly 30 metres over the past six years although the pace varies because of factors including rain, contractor issues limited space and the difficulty of processing wet and compacted waste.
Rain can particularly disrupt biomining because old waste becomes wet and sticky, clogging screening machinery and reducing processing capacity. At Okhla machines were processing between 6,000 and 9,000 tonnes of waste a day in August but output fell sharply during periods of heavy rain.
Another major challenge is what happens to the material recovered from the landfills. Recovered plastic can be processed for use in road construction while inert and construction material can be used as filling or base material. Government agencies and infrastructure projects have also used recovered landfill material.
The MCD is simultaneously increasing waste processing capacity. Okhla’s existing waste to energy plant which handles around 1,950 tonnes of waste daily is being expanded to 2,950 tonnes a day by March 2027. Bhalswa is expected to receive a new 1,800 tonne per day fresh waste processing plant while Ghazipur is planned to get an 800 tonne per day processing facility and a 2,000 tonne per day waste to energy plant by December 2028.
Despite the progress residents near Bhalswa and Okhla say the reduction of the old garbage mountains does not necessarily mean the waste problem has been solved.
At Bhalswa residents have alleged that waste is being shifted from one part of the landfill area to another and that new dumping points have emerged. Residents have also raised concerns about a new landfill site in Sanot village in Rohini.
Land reclamation is another issue. At Okhla, authorities have planted bamboo lemongrass and vetiver on reclaimed land. While officials say such plants can help stabilise the site and reduce the movement of contaminants, several bamboo saplings have reportedly dried out or struggled to survive.
Residents have questioned whether vegetation can thrive on land where hazardous materials including plastics and electronic waste, remain buried underneath. Similar plantation efforts at Bhalswa have also faced concerns over maintenance and follow-up.
The National Green Tribunal had earlier directed Delhi to clear the three major landfill sites. A panel in 2023 recommended that, after clearance roughly one third of the reclaimed land should be developed as dense forest another third should be used for integrated waste processing facilities and the remaining land could be used for other purposes.
Meanwhile, fresh waste continues to arrive at the sites. At Okhla around 2,800 tonnes of new waste is reportedly brought in every day. Although biomining capacity can exceed this amount under favourable conditions, weather and operational constraints can significantly reduce daily processing.
The deadlines for eliminating legacy waste have also been extended several times. Okhla and Bhalswa are now expected to complete the process by December 2026 while Ghazipur has a December 2027 deadline.
For residents living around the landfill sites, the shrinking garbage mountains offer visible relief, but problems such as foul smelling black water, pollution and new dumping remain. The experience of Delhi’s landfills shows that removing legacy waste is only one part of the challenge; preventing new mountains from forming will depend on the city’s ability to process fresh waste continuously and expand its waste management infrastructure.