Gurgaon: Only about 15% of Gurgaon’s daily municipal waste needs to be sent to landfills, while the remaining 85% can be composted, recycled or converted into fuel and energy, according to the city’s first municipal solid waste characterisation study commissioned by the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG).
The study found that Gurgaon generates around 1,100 metric tonnes of municipal solid waste every day, of which 402 tonnes can be composted, 313 tonnes recycled and 220 tonnes converted into refuse-derived fuel (RDF). Only 165 tonnes ultimately require landfill disposal, The Times of India reported.
The report said the city’s biodegradable waste alone has the potential to generate 38,200 cubic metres of biogas every day, enough to produce 6.8-7.5 MW of electricity. Alternatively, the organic waste could yield 13-15 tonnes of compressed biogas (CBG) daily.
The findings are based on waste samples collected from 24 municipal wards across Gurgaon’s eight municipal zones. Around 100 kg of waste from each ward was scientifically sorted and analysed using internationally accepted waste characterisation methods to determine the city’s overall waste composition.
Laboratory analysis found low concentrations of heavy metals, indicating that the organic fraction is suitable for composting and biomethanation if segregated properly. The report concluded that Gurgaon has strong potential for integrated waste processing rather than relying on landfill disposal.
According to the study, organic waste accounts for 47.8% of the city’s waste stream, while recyclable materials such as plastics, paper, cardboard, glass and metals make up about 28%. More than 33% of the waste is suitable for RDF production. Plastics account for 14.4% of the waste, followed by paper at 7.9%, cardboard at 3%, while inert material constitutes only 11.1%.
The findings suggest that Gurgaon’s waste management challenge lies less in the volume of waste generated and more in the lack of segregation and resource recovery. The report identified poor segregation at source, mixing of wet and dry waste, contamination of recyclables, inadequate processing infrastructure and dependence on centralised disposal as the key obstacles to efficient waste management.
MCG Additional Commissioner Yash Jaluka said the study would help the civic body design future waste processing strategies and prepare tenders based on the city’s waste composition. He said the corporation is also looking for a new site to process fresh waste while stepping up compliance by bulk waste generators to reduce pressure on the Bandhwari landfill.
Additional Commissioner Ravinder Yadav said the study would serve as the basis for improving the city’s solid waste management strategy by aligning processing methods with the type of waste being generated.
Environmentalists welcomed the findings but urged the civic body to focus on decentralised waste processing instead of expanding landfill capacity. Environmentalist Vaishali Rana said effective implementation of solid waste management rules, segregation of wet and dry waste at source and greater accountability of bulk waste generators would prevent recyclable and compostable waste from reaching landfills.
The study recommended mandatory three-bin segregation at source, GPS tracking of waste collection vehicles, expansion of material recovery facilities to 350 tonnes per day, development of 400 tonnes per day of composting capacity, establishment of 100-150 tonnes per day biomethanation plants, creation of a 250 tonnes per day RDF facility, and limiting landfill disposal to residual inert waste.
The analysis also found significant variations in waste composition across Gurgaon. Zone 3 recorded the highest biodegradable waste content, making it most suitable for decentralised composting and biomethanation. Zones 1, 5 and 7 also had high organic waste levels, while the more commercial Zones 4 and 8 generated larger quantities of plastics, paper and cardboard, making them better suited for recycling and RDF production. Zone 2 recorded higher paper and plastic content due to its mixed residential-commercial character, while Zone 6 showed a balanced mix of biodegradable and recyclable waste.
