BBMP working on limiting wayside trash bins

The central business district is dealing with a case of missing litter bins. Business owners, residents and civic activists say the bins in the area, which sees heavy pedestrian traffic, are too few. Last month, the Swachh Survekshan 2025 survey ranked Bengaluru as the fifth dirtiest city in the country.

“It’s a conscious decision taken by the BBMP to reduce the number of bins over a period of time. We want to encourage citizens to dispose of their garbage in their own homes. Often, public bins were turning into black spots. However, we are planning to reassess the whole waste management system,” said Maheshwar Rao, chief commissioner, BBMP. 

When Church Street was first revamped in 2020, the 1-km stretch had roughly 20 dustbins. In November 2024, the UnboxingBlr Foundation ‘adopted’ the street after it entered into an MoU with the BBMP. Today, a walk down the street will tell you that the number of bins on that stretch is 7. Made from recycled material, they are an improvement on the older bins that were badly damaged. But are they enough? “The BBMP clears the waste at night. But the stretch definitely needs more bins. However, I must point out that there is less litter after the street vendors were asked to leave. In general, civic sense is lacking and one needs to be mindful of doing their bit to keep their surroundings clean,” said Sanjay Kumar, president, Church Street and Rest House Road Residents Welfare Association.

A spokesperson from the Foundation shared that they have employed two additional sweepers who work during the 4 pm to 11 pm slot, six days a week.

While there are bins on M G Road, they are poorly maintained. Often, the contents are overflowing, with rubbish strewn around the bins. Some are badly damaged and all of them need a deep clean. It is unclear how often they are cleared. 

Regular cleaning

When Metrolife visited Commercial Street on a weekday, there were no dustbins, but there was no visible litter on the stretch. A shop owner said, “Garbage is collected frequently and
the road is cleaned often. However, during weekends we do see some litter. I think there is no harm in installing some bins, while the regular cleaning continues as is.”

A walker who frequents Cubbon Park and its surroundings said, “several tourists and walkers visit Vidhana Soudha every day and there are hardly any dustbins on the stretch”. He added that it is cleaned regularly as it is frequented by VVIPs. Another walker who visits Cubbon Park daily shared that the number of bins in the park has also come down, but they are rarely used. 

Frequent clearing

Founder of BangaloreWALKS, Arun Pai, has been working with authorities to make Bengaluru’s footpaths obstacle-free and walkable. He noted that the bins must be emptied more often. “The efficiency of a bin is as good as the frequency and timing of its clearing. For a street like Church Street, bins need to be continuously cleared between 11am-11pm, which matches the usage times (lunch and dinner time). Such day-long maintenance of bins creates employment and keeps the streets clean,” he stated, adding that as a society, we don’t invest enough in maintenance. “A little extra focus here and the impact is dramatic,” Pai said.

Dr Shanthi Tummala, member of the Solid Waste Management Round Table, pointed out that sometimes it is not advisable to keep litter bins because residents misuse them and fill them up with mixed waste from their households. 

(With inputs from Pushkar V.)