Lucknow has achieved a major milestone in urban waste management by commissioning its third fresh waste processing facility at the Shivari plant. With this, the city has become the first in Uttar Pradesh to ensure 100% scientific processing of municipal solid waste and has been declared a zero fresh waste dump city. The development reflects a shift towards scientific disposal, resource recovery and circular economy-based urban management.
Waste Processing Capacity
Lucknow generates around 2,000 metric tonnes of waste daily. To handle this volume, the Lucknow Municipal Corporation and Bhumi Green Energy have established three processing plants, each with a capacity of 700 metric tonnes per day. Together, they can scientifically process the city’s entire daily waste output, preventing open dumping and reducing environmental pollution.
Segregation and Resource Recovery
The city’s waste stream is broadly divided into organic and inorganic fractions. Organic waste, which forms about 55%, is converted into compost and biogas. Inorganic waste, accounting for about 45%, is sorted for recycling or converted into Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) for use in cement and paper industries. Door-to-door collection efficiency has reached 96.53%, while source segregation has crossed 70%.
Legacy Waste Management
Lucknow had around 18.5 lakh metric tonnes of legacy waste. Of this, about 12.86 lakh metric tonnes has already been scientifically processed. The recovered material includes RDF, construction and demolition waste, bio-soil and coarse fractions. These have been used for co-processing, recycling and low-lying land development. More than 25 acres of land has been reclaimed at the Shivari site.
Future Waste-to-Energy Plan
The next phase is a proposed 15 MW Waste-to-Energy plant at Shivari. It is expected to use 1,000–1,200 metric tonnes of RDF daily and reduce the need to transport RDF to cement factories nearly 500 km away. The project strengthens Lucknow’s model of sustainable waste management and urban environmental planning.
Last Modified: April 27, 2026