MCD to launch zero-waste-to-landfill initiative across nine hospitals

Delhi’s civic hospitals are set for a sustainable reboot, with the MCD preparing to roll out a zero-waste-to-landfill initiative across nine major healthcare facilities as part of a citywide push towards waste management.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has drawn up the initiative after completing baseline waste-management surveys at four of its hospitals and identifying pathways to strengthen segregation, resource recovery, composting and recycling systems within healthcare facilities, officials told PTI on Friday.

The project, being undertaken with technical support from a women-led non-profit organisation working in sustainable waste management, aims to ensure that waste generated at hospitals is scientifically managed through source segregation, on-site processing of organic waste and recovery of recyclable material, thereby reducing the burden on landfill sites.

“The objective is to create a model that can be sustained and replicated. The surveys have helped identify hospital-specific requirements and the interventions needed to move towards a zero-waste-to-landfill framework,” a senior MCD official said.

The baseline surveys, conducted between April and May, covered Hindu Rao Hospital, Maharishi Valmiki Sankraman Rog Hospital (MVID), Mata Gujri Hospital and Swami Dayanand Hospital. Together, these facilities generate around 1,700 kg of solid waste every day.

The assessment focused on waste generation patterns, existing infrastructure, manpower deployment, processing capacity and opportunities for improving segregation and resource recovery at the facilities, the officials said.

“The hospitals already have the basic infrastructure required for better waste management. The next phase will focus on strengthening systems, training personnel and institutionalising best practices so that maximum waste can be diverted from landfill sites,” they added.

Among the hospitals surveyed, Hindu Rao Hospital generates around 890 kg of waste daily, followed by Swami Dayanand Hospital at about 470 kg, MVID at 230 kg and Mata Gujri Hospital at 105 kg.

Based on the findings, the report recommends a phased implementation plan that includes source segregation, establishment of Dry Resource Collection Centres (DRCCs), decentralised composting of wet waste, recycling of dry waste streams and deployment of a real-time monitoring mechanism.

Biomedical waste generated by the hospitals is already managed through a separate system involving authorised private contractors and specialised treatment processes in accordance with biomedical waste-management rules, the officials said.

“The initiative is focused on strengthening the management of general solid waste generated within hospital campuses. Biomedical waste already follows a dedicated collection, transportation and treatment chain through authorised agencies,” the official said.

A review meeting chaired on June 5 examined the findings of the baseline surveys and discussed the implementation roadmap. Officials said the project can be initiated immediately at the four surveyed hospitals, with suitable sites already identified for the proposed interventions.

The civic body is also planning to establish a real-time digital dashboard to monitor waste-management performance across hospitals and has proposed a dedicated project-management structure for implementation and monitoring.

Meanwhile, baseline surveys are being carried out at five additional MCD hospitals – Kasturba Hospital, Mrs Girdhar Lal Maternity Hospital, Balak Ram Hospital, Rajan Babu Institute of Pulmonary Medicine and Tuberculosis, and Veer Savarkar Arogya Sansthan.

“The surveys at these five hospitals are expected to be completed this week, after which a comprehensive roadmap for all nine major MCD hospitals will be prepared,” the official said.