BMC wants housing societies and commercial establishments to segregate the everyday waste they generate into 'dry' and 'wet'. It has sending notices to errant societies in this regard for over a year now. The drive was intensified after the Clean-India drive was launched on Oct 2.

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Why segregate waste?Mixing dry and wet waste increases the load that goes everyday to dump yards in Deonar and Mulund.

How many have been served notice?Records in solid waste management dept show that notices have been served on 42% of 34.71 lakh housing societies. BMC collects waste door-to-door from 77% of these societies. It has slapped notices on 53% of commercial establishments also.

Are all societies equally guilty?No. It differs form ward to ward. In zone VII (R-North, R-Central and R-South), 96% of societies have been served notices. But in zone VI (N, S and T wards), notices have been served on only 36%.

What do the law say?According to municipal solid waste management (SWM) byelaws, 2006, MMC Act section 368: it's the duty of people to keep separate bins for wet and dry waste.

What if societies fail to act?Societies have to act within seven days of receiving the notice. If they fail to comply, they can be prosecuted under section 477 of MMC Act. Fines can range from Rs 2,500 to Rs 10,000.

Is there a monitoring system?No really. "Merely sending notices is not enough; a strong monitoring mechanism has to be in place to check if societies comply with the norms after receiving notices," an official said.