Lucknow Becomes Zero Net Waste City

• 03 Jul 2025

Why in News? 

Lucknow achieved a major milestone in urban waste management by launching a 700 MT fresh waste processing unit at the Shivri Plant. With this, the city now scientifically processes all 2,000 MT of daily waste, becoming a ‘zero net waste city.’

Key Points 

• Legacy Waste Remediation at Shivri: 
  • In 2022, the Shivri site faced a major challenge with 18.5 lakh MT of accumulated legacy waste. 
  • To tackle this, the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) launched a Rs 106.18 crore remediation project, with Rs 96.53 crore funded under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM-I). 
  • The project was awarded to Bhumi Green Energy, which began work in March 2024. 
• Circular Economy in Action: 
  • So far, 12.86 lakh MT of legacy waste has been processed into Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF), Bio-soil and Construction-grade debris. 
    • RDF comprises non-recyclable dry waste like plastics, paper, and textiles, has a high calorific value and can be used for power generation in waste-to-energy projects. 
  • The reclaimed 25-acre site is now being repurposed for Green zones, Composting pads and New waste infrastructure. 
• Waste-to-Energy Plant in Pipeline: 
  • A Detailed Project Report (DPR) is being prepared for a Build-Own-Operate Waste-to-Energy (WTE) plant. 
  • Till then, the existing Shivri facility, supported by National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC), will serve as the city’s interim waste processing solution. 
• Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM-I): 
  • It was launched on 2nd October 2014 by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.  
  • It was also divided into SBM-Gramin for rural areas and SBM-Urban for urban centers.  
  • Aim:  
    • It aimed to make India Open Defecation Free (ODF) by constructing individual and community toilets and implementing waste management systems in schools and anganwadi toilets.  
    • An area can be notified or declared as ODF if at any point of the day, not even a single person is found defecating in the open. 
  • SBM Urban 2.0: 
    • It aims for "Garbage Free Cities" by establishing material recovery facilities, waste-to-energy plants, and recycling units, significantly boosting solid waste processing capacity by around 1.06 lakh tonnes per day (TPD) in urban areas.