Srinagar, Aug 9 (KNS): The Bandipora district administration has made home composting of biodegradable waste mandatory for households having adequate space, in a move aimed at reducing the burden on local waste disposal sites.
The Jammu and Kashmir Climate Action Group (JKCAG) on Sunday welcomed the decision, terming it a “landmark” step towards decentralised waste management.
As per **Notification No. 7 dated August 7, 2026**, issued by Deputy Commissioner Bandipora Indu Kanwal Chib, every household having adequate space shall process its biodegradable or wet waste within its premises through home composting or any other approved mechanical composting method.
The order will come into effect from **September 1**, after which the Municipal Council Bandipora will discontinue routine door-to-door collection of wet waste from such households.
Municipal collection will primarily be restricted to dry and recyclable waste and residual domestic waste, according to the notification.
Households unable to undertake home composting due to genuine space constraints can submit a self-declaration to the Municipal Council, which will assess the cases and make suitable arrangements wherever feasible.
The administration has also made segregation of waste into **wet, dry, sanitary and hazardous categories** mandatory for households, institutions, commercial establishments and other waste generators in Bandipora town.
Welcoming the move, JKCAG chairman Raja Muzaffar Bhat said the initiative would help reduce the quantity of waste reaching the disposal site at Zalwan.
“I appreciate the decision taken by the DC Bandipora by ordering home composting of food waste, kitchen waste and other biodegradable waste.
Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelI hope this practice is followed across the district soon and deputy commissioners in other districts also issue similar orders,” Bhat said.
He said decentralised processing of biodegradable waste at the source could help address longstanding waste-management concerns in the district.
The notification also directs **bulk waste generators (BWGs)** to establish and operate in-situ facilities for processing biodegradable waste in accordance with the applicable waste-management rules.
The district administration had earlier held a workshop with bulk waste generators on June 30 to sensitise them about the waste-processing requirements, JKCAG said.
Bhat also raised concerns over the continued dumping of municipal waste at Zalwan, describing it as a violation of waste-management and wetland protection norms.
He said the J&K Pollution Control Committee had imposed a penalty of more than **Rs 64 lakh** on the Municipal Council Bandipora in 2021 over alleged violations related to waste dumping near Zalwan.
The matter subsequently reached the National Green Tribunal and the Supreme Court, with the apex court in October 2022 upholding the penalty and directing the municipality to deposit the amount.
“Unfortunately, the MC Bandipora continues to dump waste at Zalwan in clear violation of not only the MSW Rules, 2016, and Wetland Rules, 2017, but also the judgments of the Supreme Court and NGT,” Bhat alleged.(KNS).