The Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U) has driven significant innovation in public sanitation facilities across India through its Toilets 2.0 initiative, focusing on making Community and Public Toilets safe, clean, and inclusive. The program has enabled cities to achieve ODF, ODF+, and ODF++ status, with citizens able to locate facilities through the 'SBM Toilet Locator' on the Swachhata app.
In Bengaluru, an old scrap bus was converted into the Sthree Toilet at the KSRTC Majestic bus terminal, exclusively serving women with three Indian-style and two Western-style commodes, sanitary napkin vending machine, incinerator, baby feeding and changing space, and sensor lights running on solar power. The facility drains waste into the bus station's sewage chamber.
Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation built Aspirational Toilets at Sector 14, Koparkhairane using 426 square metres of recycled materials including 5.3 metric tonnes of single-use plastic, 11,700 plastic bottles, and 35,200 bottle caps, plus 85 repurposed computer keyboards and 284 kg of scrap metal. The facility serves 8,000-9,000 daily visitors near Nisargudyan urban garden, featuring separate sections for men/women, child/PWD units, baby care stations, sanitary vending machines, and a fountain using treated sewage water.
Bhopal Municipal Corporation established 'Freshrooms' smart luxury public convenience centers under PPP DBOT model at 10 Number Market, covering 800-1,000 square feet and serving 500-1,000 daily visitors. The facility offers sensor-based toilets, touch-free urinals, hot/cold showers, lockers, Wi-Fi, café, vending machines, baby-changing rooms, and digital information walls with separate accessible facilities for all genders and abilities.
Karad in Maharashtra achieves 100% segregation, collection and processing of sanitary and biomedical waste, collecting 300-350 kg daily from hospitals, clinics, households and other facilities. The municipal council conducted workshops and outreach programs, placed separate red bins in public toilets, encouraged schools to install vending machines and disposal systems, and implemented waste wrapping protocols. Collection vehicles carry separate bins for sanitary waste, which is sorted before processing.
Karad Municipal Council partnered with Karad Hospital Association to operate a 600 kg/day Common Biomedical Waste Treatment Facility (CBWTF) where KMC provided land and the association operates the plant. The central incinerator reaches 1,200°C with filtered gases and real-time emissions monitoring linked to the State Pollution Control Board. The PPP model reduces KMC's financial burden to only collection and transport costs.
Tirupati Municipal Corporation built modern toilet complexes including a dedicated Pink Toilet Complex for women near the bus station serving 12,000-15,000 users daily with Indian/Western toilets, restrooms, mother care rooms, incinerators, and vending machines. A Common Public Toilet Complex near the railway station serves 20,000-25,000 daily devotees visiting Govindarajaswamy Temple with facilities for men, women, transgender persons, Divyaang, and children including ramps, handrails, child-friendly fixtures, and bathing rooms. Both facilities maintain three-shift cleaning systems.
The SBM-U 2.0 now focuses on maintaining cleanliness, safety, inclusivity and sustainability of facilities through various innovative approaches including material reuse, technology integration, and public-private partnerships.