Waste collection services in Bengaluru resumed on Wednesday after a day of disruption across over 50 wards. The disruption arose due to differences on how waste segregation rules should be enforced, amid a wider conflict between contractors and civic authorities over policy changes and pending payments.
The Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML) has been pushing for stricter compliance at the household level, while contractors have resisted directives that shift the burden of segregation onto collection staff.
Sanitation workers argue that mixed waste continues to reach collection points, forcing drivers and loaders to sort it manually, which increases collection time and exposes them to potentially hazardous materials.
Even as services resumed, legal action initiated during the disruption has added to the strain. Cases were registered under the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA), with officials citing a breakdown in collection that led to garbage accumulation in several localities.
Authorities said more than 20 contractors have been named, with around 35 FIRs registered, including multiple cases against some agencies. They accused contractors of failing to transport low-value plastic waste to designated facilities and not adhering to collection schedules between 6am and 2pm.
Contractors have disputed the allegations, insisting that the disruption was not a coordinated protest but the result of operational constraints. They pointed to workforce shortages, saying several drivers and waste pickers had travelled to Tamil Nadu and West Bengal due to ongoing elections, affecting collection capacity.
