Residents handing over non-segregated wet and dry waste at source to Pourakarmikas to be fined

Mysore/Mysuru: The Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) has been facing numerous challenges related to the collection, treatment and management of solid waste, including lack of segregation of waste into wet and dry at the source and the poor implementation of Municipal rules and regulations.

To address these issues, the MCC has decided to crack down on the non-segregation of solid waste by imposing penalties on those who violate this directive.

Notably, the penalties will increase if residents and commercial establishments continue to ignore the segregation rules.

In the absence of segregation at the source, Pourakarmikas (sanitation workers) are forced to separate the waste after collecting it from residents and commercial and business establishments.

Citing laws that mandate the segregation of waste at the source, the MCC has instructed residents, businesses and commercial establishments to comply strictly with the rules by segregating waste before handing it over to the Pourakarmikas.

The public notice issued last evening signed by MCC Commissioner Dr. N.N. Madhu stated that, residents will face a penalty of up to Rs. 200 for the first instance of non-segregation and Rs. 500 for subsequent violations for residents.

The MCC emphasised that these fines will be imposed to ensure compliance with waste segregation at the source for waste including wet and dry waste, garden waste, medical waste and toxic waste.

For commercial establishments, a fine of Rs. 500 will be imposed for the first instance of failing to segregate waste, with the penalty increasing to Rs. 1,000 for a second violation. Individuals who dispose of waste in drains will be fined Rs. 500 for the first offence and Rs. 1,000 for the second offence.

Burning waste

The MCC has also issued warnings regarding fines for burning dry waste and e-waste (electronic waste). Individuals caught burning waste such as dry leaves will be fined Rs. 200 for the first offence and Rs. 500 for subsequent offences.

Those burning plastic waste and other dry waste will face a penalty of Rs. 500 for the first offence and Rs. 1,000 for the second offence. For burning e-waste, the fine will be Rs. 1,000 for the first offence, increasing to Rs. 5,000 for the second offence.

Bulk waste generators such as hotels, restaurants, hostels, Government offices, wedding halls, malls, commercial buildings, coaching centres and event and exhibition venues have been strictly instructed to manage the waste generated on their premises.

They must segregate and dispose of waste as directed, or face fines of Rs. 20,000 for the first violation and Rs. 50,000 for the second offence. If the residents do not dispose of construction waste in designated places as prescribed by the MCC, a penalty of Rs. 5,000 will be levied for the first offence while Rs. 10,000 will be levied for the second time violation and subsequent offences.

Officers said that, according to the new rules, bulk waste generators are required to manage their waste independently by setting up waste recycling units. For residents, Pourakarmikas will continue to request waste segregation for disposal. Even if residents fail to segregate waste at the source and pay the penalties, they will still be expected to comply with segregation rules.

Civic body’s past decisions that were not implemented

In the past, the MCC had announced penalties for dumping waste on the streets and failing to segregate wet and dry waste at the source. It even proposed appointing marshals across the city to enforce these rules. Here is a snapshot of past decisions:

December 2022: The MCC Council approved penal action against those who litter in public. The rules were supposed to come into effect on Jan. 1, 2023, but this did not materialise.

February 2021: The MCC planned to deploy ward-level marshals to penalise violators, similar to the approach of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). However, this plan was not implemented.

December 2017: The MCC decided to impose hefty fines on people who carelessly dump garbage in public places and those who do not segregate waste at the source. This plan also remained on paper.

Despite these past announcements, enforcement has been inconsistent, highlighting the need for more effective implementation of waste management regulations.

Violations and Penalties

Violation	First offence (in rupees)	Second and subsequent offences (in rupees)
Residents non-segregating wet and dry waste	200	500
Commercial establishments non-segregating waste	500	1,000
Disposing of waste in drains	500	1,000
Burning dry leaves	200	500
Burning plastic waste	500	1,000
Burning e-waste	1,000	5,000
Non-segregation by bulk waste generators	20,000	50,000
Disposal of construction waste	5,000	10,000