100% collection coverage
A fully operational collection mechanism across all 48 wards, with GPS-optimised routes that also reduce vehicle emissions from waste transportation.
Solid waste management program (DCMC)
Complete solid waste operations for Dindigul City Municipal Corporation — door-to-door collection, segregation, composting, recycling and landfill remediation across all 48 wards of Dindigul city.
48
Municipal wards covered
54,000
Households covered
400
Workers managed (approx.)
90
Tons of waste collected daily (approx.)
The project
Running an entire city's waste system
Project mission
Managing the complete solid waste management operations for Dindigul City Municipal Corporation across all 48 wards, encompassing door-to-door waste collection, segregation, transportation, composting, recycling and landfill remediation — transforming urban waste management through systematic community engagement and scientific waste processing.
Funded by the Dindigul City Municipal Corporation (DCMC) — the single largest funder of Coodu Trust's operations — this contract is valued at ₹7,09,83,776 and is described as one of the most significant urban service delivery contracts undertaken by any NGO in Tamil Nadu. It marks Coodu Trust's transition from rural watershed management to comprehensive urban environmental management, leveraging 25 years of community mobilisation expertise.
On the ground, the team collects waste door-to-door from 54,000 households — including 28 slum clusters — handling roughly 90 tons of the ~100 MT of waste Dindigul generates each day. A workforce of approximately 400 workers is supervised through daily roll calls and GPS-tracked collection vehicles, with kilograms of waste collected reported daily. The contract also covers the Dengue Eradication Programme, with door-to-door anti-larval activities and fogging across all wards.
- Door-to-door collection
- Segregation at source
- Scientific processing
- Dignified workforce
Why this work matters
The challenge on the ground — and our answer
The challenge
Uncollected waste ends up burned in the open
Where collection is not systematic, waste is dumped or burned uncontrolled — a major source of particulate matter and greenhouse gas emissions in a city generating ~100 MT of waste every day.
Our response
100% collection coverage across all 48 wards
A fully operational door-to-door collection mechanism reaching 54,000 households — including 28 slum clusters — with GPS-tracked vehicles handling roughly 90 tons of waste daily.
The challenge
Mixed waste that landfills cannot absorb
Segregation compliance sits below 40% and only 30% of waste is currently processed scientifically — so recyclables and organics still reach landfill, generating methane as they decompose.
Our response
Segregation drives, MRFs and composting centres
Source-segregation campaigns reaching over 60,000 people, Material Recovery Facilities for dry waste and Micro Composting Centres for organics — moving Dindigul towards a circular-economy approach.
At a glance
The essentials
- Funder
- Dindigul City Municipal CorporationThe single largest funder of Coodu Trust's operations — contract value ₹7,09,83,776
- Period
- 2022–PresentOngoing municipal service delivery contract
- Coverage
- All 48 wardsDindigul City Municipal Corporation, Dindigul District, Tamil Nadu
- Beneficiaries
- 54,000 householdsIncluding 28 slum clusters; 60,000+ individuals reached through awareness campaigns
- Scale
- ~90 tons of waste daily~400 workers managed through daily roll calls, daily reporting & GPS-tracked vehicles
- Status
- OngoingAlso includes the Dengue Eradication Programme — anti-larval activities & fogging across all wards
Outcomes
What the project changed
Elimination of open burning
Systematic collection prevents uncontrolled waste burning — a major source of particulate matter and greenhouse gas emissions.
Landfill diversion
Segregation, composting and material recovery through MRFs reduce the waste reaching landfills — cutting methane from decomposition and the need for virgin resource extraction.
Get involved
Support cleaner cities
Join us in building waste management systems that keep cities clean, give sanitation workers dignified working conditions and move urban Tamil Nadu towards a circular economy.