BENGALURU: In an unusual yet attention-grabbing awareness campaign, the Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML) on Thursday (October 30) dumped garbage outside nearly 200 houses across the city. The move, dubbed “Kasa Surisuva Habba” (Garbage-Dumping Festival), was aimed at shaming and sensitising residents who allegedly continue to dump waste in public places despite having access to a door-to-door garbage collection system.
Awareness through accountability
Residents across several neighbourhoods were in for a shock when they woke up to find piles of mixed waste dumped outside their homes. Auto-tippers carrying garbage, collected from public black spots, were reportedly used for the activity. According to BSWML officials, the households identified were those already covered under the city’s waste collection network but repeatedly found dumping waste on streets or empty plots.
A senior BSWML officer said the campaign was part of a larger initiative to make Bengaluru free from garbage black spots. “We traced the source of waste using marshals and surveillance. After confirming the households responsible, we decided to return the garbage to them as part of the ‘Kasa Surisuva Habba’. The purpose was not humiliation, but education — to make people realise the impact of their negligence,” he explained.
How the ‘festival’ unfolded
The BSWML, with help from local marshals, identified black spots across the city where garbage was being dumped regularly. Teams then inspected the waste for identifiable items such as household bills, packaging, and address labels to trace the offenders.
Once the source houses were identified, workers transported the dumped waste back to those homes. In many locations, residents were made to hand over the garbage personally to the pourakarmikas (waste workers), reinforcing the need for responsible waste segregation and disposal.
The campaign also saw fines being imposed on the identified households under BBMP’s Solid Waste Management Bylaws. In some areas, however, the pourakarmikas themselves cleaned up the spots after the symbolic dumping to ensure hygiene.
Mixed reactions from residents
While many civic activists applauded BSWML’s creative approach to tackle chronic littering, others criticised the selective nature of the drive. Some residents questioned whether all offenders were treated equally and whether those chosen had been given prior warnings.
“Garbage dumping is a city-wide issue, not limited to 200 households. Awareness is welcome, but the authorities must also focus on infrastructure gaps like irregular waste pickups and overflowing bins,” said Priya Menon, a resident of Koramangala.
Social media was abuzz with pictures and videos of the event, sparking a debate on whether public shaming was an effective or ethical way to enforce civic responsibility.
Officials defend the initiative
Defending the move, BSWML officials clarified that the campaign’s intent was to bring behavioural change, not punishment. “Bengaluru generates over 6,000 tonnes of waste daily. Even if 1% of households dump waste irresponsibly, it creates thousands of black spots. This drive is a wake-up call for citizens to act responsibly,” said an official.
He added that the BSWML will continue conducting surprise inspections across the city, and repeat offenders could face higher fines or legal action. The authority also plans to launch more educational campaigns to encourage segregation at source and proper disposal practices.
A step towards cleaner Bengaluru
The “Kasa Surisuva Habba” campaign is part of BSWML’s larger Clean Bengaluru Mission, which aims to eliminate all garbage black spots by 2026 through a combination of awareness, enforcement, and infrastructure improvement.
Officials have urged citizens to cooperate with pourakarmikas, follow segregation norms, and use authorised collection channels instead of dumping waste on roadsides.
As Bengaluru continues to battle its mounting waste crisis, initiatives like these — though unconventional — highlight the pressing need for civic discipline and citizen participation in maintaining the city’s cleanliness.