GIFT City: If you have visited GIFT City, you may have noticed that there are no waste-collection vans anywhere. The absence is because the fintech city houses India’s first fully automated solid-waste management system. This advanced setup eliminates the need for door-to-door collection vehicles within the financial district.

A city without garbage trucks – By design

GIFT City uses a Swiss-designed Automated Waste Collection System (AWCS), a vacuum-powered underground network that transports waste directly from buildings to a central processing site.

Every commercial and residential tower has separate chutes for recyclable and non-recyclable waste, along with outdoor litter bins. This waste is first collected in basement bins. Each bin has a level sensor, and when it fills up, the system automatically alerts the central plant. The waste is then sucked out through the underground pipelines using a high-speed vacuum.

The waste travels at 110–140 km per hour through a single utility tunnel and reaches the Central Waste Handling Facility. This fully automated movement means no manual collection, no garbage vans on the road, and no street-level dumping, reducing noise, emissions and traffic disruptions.

What happens to the waste after it reaches the facility

At the central facility, the collected waste is separated using cyclone separators and conveyor-based segregation units.

• • Organic waste is converted into manure at an on-site composting plant and used for landscaping within GIFT City.
• • Non-recyclable waste goes to a stationary compactor, where it is compressed into sealed “compacted cakes” and sent for further treatment. Waste processing is currently done through a tie-up with the GMC, but GIFT City is setting up its own waste-to-energy plant, expected to be ready in about two years.
• • Recyclable waste like paper, plastic and bottles moves along a conveyor belt for basic segregation, followed by manual sorting for specific items to keep costs practical.

The system can currently handle 5 tons of waste per hour, with long-term plans to go beyond 150 tons per day as the city expands.

Fully operational and built for the future

The automated waste network is fully operational in active areas of GIFT City. Authorities say they are continuously improving its performance, and capacity will increase as more buildings become functional. DeshGujarat