3 minutes of readingPuneUpdated: February 3, 2026 07:52 pm IST
In a bid to revitalize scientific waste management, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has issued a directive urging residents to separate household waste into four distinct categories instead of the earlier two-bin system. Officials said the PCMC health department is leading the initiative in all districts of the city and spreading awareness through public campaigns.
Under the new initiative, issued on Friday, January 30, citizens must now deliver household waste in door-to-door collection vehicles, after separating it into dry waste, wet waste, sanitary waste and hazardous waste.
Different color codes are designated for the four-bin system. Blue containers for dry waste that include non-biodegradable and non-soiled items such as paper, plastic, glass, metal, wood and rubber; Green bins are designated for wet waste such as food scraps, used tea bags/coffee grounds, eggshells and garden waste.
Additionally, red containers for healthcare waste such as solid or liquid waste contaminated with body fluids, including used sanitary pads, diapers, medical disposables, and tampons; and black containers for household hazardous waste, such as leftover toxic, flammable, corrosive or reactive products, such as paints, cleaners, motor oil, batteries, pesticides and electronics.
Talking to him indian expressPradeep Thengal, deputy commissioner of PCMC Health Department, said, “Four-way segregation will facilitate scientific processing of waste. And it would help reduce pressure on landfills, promote recycling, control accumulation of garbage, stop environmental pollution and reduce bad odours. Currently, awareness is being created among residents through social media outreach activities, banners, door-to-door visits, programs and pamphlets carried out with the support of non-governmental organisations.”
“Segregating waste at source is important and reduces downstream complexity as the collected waste would later be sent to waste-to-energy plants and biocomposting. Biomedical and electronic waste needs to be separated as the waste is increasing and mixing it with regular household waste poses a risk to healthcare workers,” he explained.
“We urge residents of Pimpri-Chinchwad to cooperate by separating their household waste and delivering it properly to municipal collection vehicles. And there will be penal action in case of non-compliance,” Thengal added.
The initiative is being implemented under the leadership of Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Shravan Hardikar, Additional Commissioner Vijaykumar Khorate; supervised by Deputy Commissioner Dr Pradeep Thengal and Deputy Commissioner Amit Pandit; with the aim of being implemented in all districts of Pimpri-Chinchwad city.