Surat has proudly claimed the second spot among India’s cleanest cities in the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 survey, while also earning the top rank nationwide for solid waste management. The city’s efforts were recognized by the President of India, who presented Surat with an award for its outstanding work in sustainable waste handling.
This success is largely credited to the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), which has adopted an innovative approach to waste by avoiding dumping altogether. Instead, the SMC turns garbage into valuable products such as recycled paper, glass, and fertilizers, treating waste as a resource and generating income through recycling.
Pradeep Umrigar from the Surat Health Office explained, “Surat’s waste management system is very efficient. The Municipal Corporation collects waste from homes, offices, and construction sites, segregates it, processes it, and then recycles or reuses it. The city has even achieved zero waste, which is a significant milestone. Surat has a plant capable of processing 1,500 tons of waste daily, along with a facility that produces CNG from this waste.”
Sanitary Inspector RC Patel added in an interview with ANI, “All waste is segregated here. Dry waste is sent to the Material Recovery Facility (MRF), while wet waste goes to disposal sites. Wet waste is converted into fertilizer, and dry waste is used to produce paper, glass, and plastic. Our door-to-door collection system is very effective, handling about 350 tons of waste each day.”
Surat collects a large volume of waste daily, which is systematically sorted and sent for recycling at a dedicated waste management plant. Here, compost is made from the wet waste, while dry waste is processed to recover materials like plastic, glass, and paper. The plant manages approximately 350 tons of waste every day, all of which is reused or recycled.
Moreover, the city operates a facility that can process up to 1,500 metric tonnes of waste daily, producing around 100 metric tonnes of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in the process. Surat also manufactures construction blocks and other building materials from waste, effectively turning various types of garbage into useful products. This approach helps the city avoid landfill buildup and maintain an efficient and environmentally friendly waste management system.
