Depalpur Achieves Zero Legacy Waste Status Through Swachh Shehar Jodi Initiative
Under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0, Depalpur Nagar Parishad has successfully achieved complete remediation of its legacy waste, clearing 1,250 metric tonnes of waste that had accumulated over 5 years. This accomplishment was achieved through the Swachh Shehar Jodi initiative where Indore Municipal Corporation served as mentor to Depalpur, implementing a people-driven waste management system that included door-to-door collection and four-category segregation achieving 100% coverage.
The operational scale involved mobilizing over 500 ragpickers from Indore Municipal Corporation working alongside Depalpur Nagar Parishad's heavy machinery including dumpers, JCBs, and loaders. The waste was meticulously segregated on-site, resulting in the recovery of 4.5 tonnes of recyclables (plastic, metal, and glass) that were sold to authorized recyclers, and 50-60 tonnes of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) that was transported to the NEPRA plant in Indore for shredding before being dispatched to cement factories for co-processing.
Following the remediation, the former dumpsite has been transformed with a plantation drive of 200 saplings and community celebrations including a "Poha Party." The site is now planned for development into public recreational space for cricket matches, citizen engagement programs, and social gatherings like "Tiffin Party." Depalpur has become the first city under the Swachh Shehar Jodi initiative to achieve "Zero Legacy Waste" status.
This achievement is part of the broader Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs capacity building program that paired 72 mentor cities with 200 mentee cities, resulting in over 1,600 activities in the urban waste management sector through a 100-day intervention based on the Each One Teach One model. Cities have signed MoUs to foster knowledge transfer, peer learning, and replication of best practices through field visits addressing gaps in solid waste management and urban waste management.