The Centre told the Rajya Sabha that Jammu and Kashmir processes nearly 87 per cent of the municipal solid waste generated in the Union Territory each day, according to data placed before the house. The figures showed that the region generates around 1,007 metric tonne (t) of municipal solid waste per day, of which 873 t are processed through reported waste?processing mechanisms. The processing figure was based on mechanisms reported by local urban bodies and reflects declared capacities rather than independent verification.

The information was supplied by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in response to a parliamentary question on scientific processing of municipal solid waste across the country. At the national level, States and Union Territories reported total municipal waste generation of 162,372 t per day, with 131,530 t per day being processed. Nationally, the processed total amounts to roughly 81 per cent of generated waste, indicating a substantial proportion is being managed through reported systems.

The Centre said it is providing financial assistance to States and Union Territories under the Solid Waste Management component of the Swachh Bharat Mission?Urban 2.0 for establishing facilities such as material recovery facilities, waste?to?compost plants, bio?methanation units and refuse?derived fuel facilities. It added that support also covers waste?to?energy plants, construction and demolition waste plants and compressed biogas plants. The assistance aims to augment local treatment capacity and promote technology adoption.

The data reflect substantial processing of municipal waste in Jammu and Kashmir while underscoring the need for continued investment in treatment technologies and local capacity building. In Jammu and Kashmir an estimated 134 t per day remain unprocessed, while at the national level about 30,842 t per day were reported as unprocessed, signalling continuing gaps. Officials indicated that reporting is based on mechanisms declared by urban local bodies, that capacities differ across districts, and that the Centre will continue to support infrastructure development and technical assistance.