South First spoke to an insider in Bengaluru’s waste management business, who says it refers to contractors historically outsourced to handle garbage collection.
Published Oct 16, 2025 | 9:00 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 16, 2025 | 9:00 AM
DK Shivakumar claimed the city’s problems 'make more noise' because they are more visible than in other global cities.
Synopsis: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar recently blamed the “garbage mafia” for exacerbating Bengaluru’s waste management crisis. Insiders told South First that these are entrenched interests with political affiliations who control the city’s waste collection and resist reforms.
Bengaluru’s mounting garbage crisis has long frustrated residents, but recently Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar claimed the crisis was not just an infrastructure failure, but an active creation of vested interests who were derailing the state government’s efforts at progress.
At a discussion organised by the Bangalore Political Action Committee (BPAC) and Mount Carmel College on October 8, Shivakumar said he had “moved heaven and earth” to resolve the city’s waste management issues.
Yet, he alleged, “the garbage mafia is doing everything to derail this. They have filed a PIL to stop us from taking steps to clear the garbage issue.”
The Congress leader defended the state government’s handling of Bengaluru’s infrastructure woes, noting that the city’s problems seem louder because they are more visible than in other global cities.
But who exactly is this so-called garbage mafia?
South First spoke to an insider in Bengaluru’s waste management business, who says it refers to contractors historically outsourced to handle garbage collection.
“They are associated with some politician or the other. They are either affiliated to them by blood or by party. They are the ones who control the entire waste collection system. That is the mafia everyone is talking about, since they have been there for a long time,” said Arun (name changed), an insider.
“There are a handful of them who pretty much run the entire city and sub-contract to many others. The guys who have been there for a long time basically call the shots.”
Political and financial incentives make it difficult for the government to challenge these contractors, Arun explained.
“There is something called the tipping fee system in waste management. You are paid a certain amount for the quantity by weight that is deposited at a facility, quarry or landfill. This system continues and by segregating waste, the quantities get affected.”
He said this is why there is strong resistance to waste segregation and decentralised waste processing. “Anything that affects their pocket,” he added.
Bengaluru’s bulk waste generator policy has complicated matters for the contractors. Establishments producing over 100 kg of waste daily—including hospitals, commercial complexes, and large residential communities—must now be serviced by authorised waste processors.
“This started affecting the contractors. Earlier it was just collecting and dumping somewhere. The actual contract given out to contractors is only for the ward but in a ward you have bulk and non-bulk. They will monopolise here by not allowing authorised waste processors in their particular ward,” Arun said.
“They would have got a letter from the MLA or MP saying that this is their ward and nobody else should come and collect. Why, because the MLA or MP is fed by this contractor. Fed by either money or political support.”
Legal roadblocks have added to the government’s frustration. In June, Shivakumar had said some parties were obstructing waste management efforts through Public Interest Litigations (PILs), in reaction to a Karnataka High Court order staying tendering for garbage collection and transportation.
“This will not work with us. We will throw away the garbage mafia and will give opportunities to newcomers,” he had told the media.
Yet standing up to the mafia comes at a risk.
“Problem is, because they are political, you must think 10 times before you take them on. Those who stand up to them face threats such as physical, verbal, death threats, hijacking of vehicles. So much so that some had the Karnataka HC to inform the State government to provide protection,” Arun explained.
Despite the challenges, Arun said solutions exist if there is political will. Segregating waste at source and ensuring it is collected and processed correctly is entirely feasible.
“The waste that is segregated by the waste generator should be collected in a segregated manner. You will need the right amount of people, vehicles and right amount of processing destinations,” he said.
But the current system is reactive rather than planned. “If tomorrow we start segregating waste, there is no plan on how to collect segregated waste. When they start focusing on collecting segregated waste, they do not know where to take it. There is misalignment in the entire process.”
The lack of proper facilities only worsens the problem.
“Now if they all get together and ensure segregation at source, collect it and goes to the right facility, this is a very achievable process,” Arun said.
Organic waste, he explained, can be converted into methane to replace LPG, while the liquid slurry by-product becomes a high-quality fertiliser. “This is true meaning of circular energy… Segregation is the key, there is no way around this,” he added.
Waste-to-energy plants, he noted, are not operating effectively because mixed waste is being dumped into them. “Ideally, these plants should run on materials that cannot be recycled. But today they are not working properly since mixed waste is being put in it.”
Attempts to reach Karee Gowda, IAS, the newly appointed CEO of Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited, were unsuccessful.
