City gets first PWD green waste plant
New Delhi: In a major push towards scientific waste management and cleaner public spaces, Delhi on Tuesday got its first-ever green waste processing plant set up by the Public Works Department (PWD), marking what the government described as a long-awaited reform responding to repeated public complaints about rotting horticulture waste along city roads.
PWD Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh inaugurated the facility and said it would process horticulture waste generated along PWD-maintained roads and convert it into compost for reuse in landscaping and plantation works.
Highlighting the public demand behind the initiative, the Minister said, “Resident Welfare Associations and schools had been repeatedly demanding a proper mechanism for green waste disposal because such waste was lying unattended and rotting in many places. We have now created a permanent solution.”
For years, branches, shrubs and trees that fell during storms or routine pruning often remained dumped along roadsides and open spaces for days. The unattended waste would decay, emit foul smell and inconvenience nearby residents. Officials said the absence of a dedicated processing system had been a persistent gap despite extensive horticulture maintenance across thousands of kilometres of PWD roads.
Emphasising the significance of the step, the Minister said, “For the first time, our government has built this infrastructure. Instead of dumping waste, we will now process it scientifically and convert it into compost that will be reused.”
Under the initiative, six green waste processing plants have already been developed, with six more planned in the next phase. The long-term goal is to establish at least one such facility in every district to ensure decentralised and efficient waste management. The compost generated at these plants will be utilised by the horticulture department for maintaining central verges, roadside plantations and PWD-managed gardens. Officials said the move would not only reduce roadside dumping but also improve soil quality and support sustainable landscaping practices.
