BMC Pushes Ahead with Rs 4,165-Crore Garbage Collection Contract Despite Workers’ Protests

Mumbai, 18th May 2025: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has invited tenders for a ₹4,165-crore, seven-year contract to outsource garbage collection and transportation services citywide, despite strong opposition from trade unions and municipal workers.

The Solid Waste Management Department has decided to implement a service-based model under which private contractors will provide both vehicles and manpower for door-to-door waste collection. This will cover 22 of Mumbai’s 25 wards, replacing the current mixed system that involved both municipal and contractor resources.

Until now, garbage was collected in some areas by BMC-owned vehicles and workers, while in others, contractor vehicles were operated with civic loaders. The new model scraps this hybrid approach in favor of a unified, contractor-driven system.

Trade unions have slammed the move, citing job displacement and long-term dependency on private players. Motor loaders employed by the BMC, who previously worked on garbage trucks, will now be reassigned to street sweeping duties — a change unions also oppose.

“If garbage collection is handed over completely to contractors, the corporation will become fully dependent on them,” warned a BEST Workers’ Union representative. Ramakant Bane, another union leader, expressed concern that the new system could lead to the phasing out of BMC’s own vehicles.

Despite these concerns, civic officials defended the move, stating that the objective is to enhance the efficiency and quality of waste management across Mumbai. “A single, streamlined system with high-capacity vehicles will improve overall service,” an official from the Solid Waste Department said.

The BMC’s firm stance indicates it intends to move forward with privatization, setting the stage for further clashes with workers and unions in the coming weeks.