Garbage, seepage and congestion: The cost of lack of transfer stations in Bengaluru

The lack of an efficient waste management system in Bengaluru can be seen on the city streets every day, not only because of the increasing number of black spots but also because of the unscientific garbage logistics that have been a major inconvenience for commuters for years.

If you commute daily on Siddapura Road in the southern part of the city, just before the road merges with Marigowda Road, you are greeted by a strong stench. Then you’ll see a pile of trash before having to hold out at a traffic light amidst a foul smell. The odor is the result of leachate overflowing onto the roadway during the moving process.

Usually, once the waste is collected by smaller dump trucks, it is then unloaded into large compactors. Successive administrations have historically failed to establish designated sites for such garbage transfers. Currently, only three locations have dedicated facilities: Adugodi, Chamarajpet and Sarvajnanagar.

In the rest of the city, the exercise is done on the streets, leading to leachate overflowing onto roads, odors from spills, and micro-level congestion. Even busy stretches like MG Road, Bannerghatta Road and HAL Road among others are witnessing the same situation.

Everyday misery

Sourabh, a daily commuter on Victoria Road near Ashok Nagar, said the shifting is being done right at Lower Agaram Junction and the smell is unbearable. “If we are at the beginning of the queue at the signal, then we have to endure the smell for two whole minutes. The worst part is that it even affects the traffic,” he said.

On the connecting road connecting St. Mark’s Road and MG Road commuters regularly encounter a compactor loading loads from small tippers. On hot summer days, when the leachate dries up, an unbearable smell wafts through the entire section.

Meera, a resident of Malleshpalya under Bengaluru Central City Corporation, also said that navigating the main road – the gateway to many residential areas and schools – is an uphill task as vehicles, including BMTC buses, get stuck carrying garbage on the road. “Shops that sell food and groceries have also shifted to the interior roads because of this,” she said.

Congestion at the micro level

A senior transport official noted that the exercise is seriously contributing to micro-level congestion at many places across the city. “Since there won’t be just one vehicle behind it, but several tippers, the stretch will automatically witness slow-moving traffic. The ripple effect then spreads to the main roads,” the officer said.

However, as Kavitha Gowda, a resident of Thindl points out, the main problem is the presence of flyovers on residential streets. “A lot of people walk on the dual carriageway where there is a transfer. It’s an inconvenience to pedestrians and residents who have to put up with the unpleasant smell all day after the leachate dries up,” she said.

(This is the second story in a series about the city’s deepening garbage crisis.)

Published – 08 Jun 2026 21:26 IST