97 pc urban wards across country now covered by door-to-door waste collection: Centre

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs announced that 97% of urban municipal wards across India are now covered under door-to-door waste collection, marki...

What Happened

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs announced that 97% of urban municipal wards across India are now covered under door-to-door waste collection, marking a significant milestone under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U).
The data was shared at a two-day National Review Meeting of SBM-U 2.0 held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on 19–20 May 2026, attended by Deputy Chief Ministers, Urban Development Ministers, Principal Secretaries, and senior officials from states and Union Territories.
Waste processing capacity has improved from 16% in 2014 to 81% in 2026.
Approximately 65% of the 26 crore metric tonnes of accumulated legacy waste across 2,482 dumpsites has been processed, reclaiming nearly 9,000 acres of urban land.
Source segregation is increasingly being adopted through two-bin, four-bin, and six-bin models, reflecting a shift from mere collection to integrated solid waste management.

Static Topic Bridges

Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban: Phase 1 and Phase 2

Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) was launched on 2 October 2014 by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (then Ministry of Urban Development). Phase 1 (2014–2021) focused on eliminating open defecation and improving solid waste management across all Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). Phase 2 (SBM-U 2.0, 2021–2026) extended the mission's mandate to achieve ODF+ and ODF++ status, legacy waste remediation, and complete transition to scientific waste processing.

Phase 1 achievements: all 4,372 ULBs declared Open Defecation Free (ODF) by November 2019; construction of over 66 lakh individual household toilets and 6.3 lakh community/public toilet seats.
SBM-U 2.0 was approved by the Cabinet for 2021–26 with a total financial outlay of ₹1,41,600 crore (including Central share of ₹36,465 crore and convergence with 15th Finance Commission grants).
SBM-U 2.0 targets: all cities ODF+; all cities with population above 1 lakh to become ODF++; all ULBs to have complete door-to-door waste collection, 100% source segregation, and zero legacy waste dumpsites.
Nodal ministry: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
Number of Urban Local Bodies covered: approximately 4,700+ ULBs as of Phase 2.

Connection to this news: The 97% door-to-door collection coverage is a Phase 2 target milestone — it reflects the shift from infrastructure creation (Phase 1) to service delivery universalisation (Phase 2).

ODF, ODF+, and ODF++ Categories

The SBM-U certification system for open defecation status has three progressive tiers, each with additional requirements over the preceding tier. These certifications are assessed by independent third-party organisations and validated by the Ministry.

ODF (Open Defecation Free): An area is declared ODF if at any point of the day, not a single person is found defecating in the open. This was the primary Phase 1 target.
ODF+: ODF status plus all community and public toilets in the city are functional, clean, and well-maintained at all times; open urination is also eliminated.
ODF++: ODF+ status plus safe containment, evacuation, transportation, and processing of faecal sludge, septage, and/or sewage from toilets, with no untreated faecal sludge discharged into open drains or water bodies (i.e., complete Faecal Sludge Management, or FSM, is in place).
As of recent data: 3,547 ULBs have achieved ODF+ status; 1,191 ULBs have achieved ODF++ status.
Swachh Survekshan — the annual urban cleanliness survey conducted by MoHUA — evaluates cities against these and other solid waste management parameters, with rankings released annually.

Connection to this news: The 97% door-to-door collection figure is a solid waste management metric, separate from but complementary to the ODF certification system. Achieving universal collection is a prerequisite for progressing to ODF++ because wet waste not collected at source ends up in open drains, undermining Faecal Sludge Management.

Garbage Free Cities (GFC) Star Rating Protocol

The Garbage Free Cities (GFC) Star Rating protocol was launched by MoHUA in January 2018 as an independent certification to classify the garbage-free status of cities on a 1-to-7 star scale. It assesses cities against criteria across solid waste management, source segregation, processing, transportation, legacy waste remediation, and digital monitoring.

1-star to 3-star ratings: assessed on 16 criteria, including rates of door-to-door collection, source segregation, and waste processing.
5-star to 7-star ratings: assessed on 24 criteria, incorporating construction and demolition waste processing, recycling, digital monitoring, and geotagging of solid waste assets.
A 3-star GFC rating is the baseline "garbage-free" certification — it requires near-universal door-to-door collection, source segregation, and scientific waste processing.
From 56 cities in the protocol's first year (2018), the number of rated cities has grown progressively; the SBM-U 2.0 target was at least 1,000 cities at 3-star GFC rating.
Higher star ratings (5-star, 7-star) are aspirational certifications for cities with advanced integrated waste management systems.

Connection to this news: The 97% door-to-door collection coverage is the foundational metric that enables cities to pursue GFC ratings. Without near-universal collection and source segregation, a city cannot qualify even for the baseline 3-star GFC certification — making this milestone a gateway to the next tier of SBM-U objectives.

15th Finance Commission and Urban Sanitation Funding

The 15th Finance Commission (covering 2021–26) marked a significant policy shift by disaggregating urban local body grants into Tied Grants — with one of the two components specifically earmarked for sanitation and solid waste management. This created a direct fiscal incentive for ULBs to improve SBM-U outcomes as a condition for receiving a portion of their Finance Commission allocations.

The 15th FC recommended urban local body grants of ₹4.36 lakh crore for 2021–26 for states.
50% of the grants are Tied Grants: one half tied to drinking water and sanitation (including ODF+ status), and the other half to ambient air quality.
ULBs that do not meet ODF+ conditions risk losing eligibility for the sanitation-tied component of 15th FC grants — creating a strong incentive structure for state and local governments to meet SBM-U targets.
This represents a shift from input-based to outcome-based funding for urban services.

Connection to this news: The rapid expansion of door-to-door waste collection coverage to 97% of wards — far beyond what was seen in Phase 1 — is partly attributable to this outcome-based funding incentive from the 15th Finance Commission, which made SBM-U compliance financially consequential for ULBs.

Key Facts & Data

SBM-U launch date: 2 October 2014.
Phase 1 (2014–2021): ODF declared for all 4,372 ULBs; 66 lakh+ individual household toilets built.
SBM-U 2.0 (2021–2026) total outlay: ₹1,41,600 crore; Central share: ₹36,465 crore.
Door-to-door waste collection ward coverage (May 2026): 97% of urban wards.
Waste processing capacity: improved from 16% (2014) to 81% (2026).
Legacy waste remediated: approximately 65% of 26 crore metric tonnes across 2,482 dumpsites.
Land reclaimed from legacy waste remediation: approximately 9,000 acres.
ODF+ cities: 3,547 ULBs; ODF++ cities: 1,191 ULBs.
GFC Star Rating Protocol launched: January 2018 (by MoHUA).
15th Finance Commission urban grants for sanitation: 50% of Tied Grant component linked to ODF+/sanitation outcomes.
Nodal ministry: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
National Review Meeting for SBM-U 2.0: Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, 19–20 May 2026.