Bengaluru Residents to Face New User Fee for Waste Collection Starting April 1

Starting from April 1, Bengaluru residents will face an added charge on their property tax bills for domestic waste collection and disposal. This new user fee, approved by the Karnataka government, will apply to all households in the city.

The fee structure is based on the size of the property. For buildings up to 600 sq ft, the fee will be ₹10 per month, while properties over 4,000 sq ft will be charged ₹400 per month. For example, a three-storey building on a 30x40 sq ft plot could see a charge of ₹150 per month. This fee is in addition to the existing Solid Waste Management (SWM) cess already included in property taxes.

The new fee is expected to generate around ₹750 crore annually. BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath stated that the total budget for BSWML has been increased to ₹1,400 crore, with the user fee expected to contribute a large portion. The remaining funds will be sourced from other BBMP revenue streams.

This proposal, which was approved earlier this year by the Urban Development Department, will officially be implemented starting the 2025–26 financial year. While the BSWML had submitted the user fee proposal last November, this marks the first time BBMP has publicly acknowledged it.

However, some, including Poongothai Paramasivam of the Bengaluru NavaNirmana Party (BNP), question the need for this additional fee. They argue that BBMP already has sufficient funds and that there needs to be more transparency regarding how SWM expenditures are managed.