India, Oct. 26 -- The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has reported a significant surge in city-wide waste during the Diwali festival, with daily generation jumping by an average of 150 metric tonnes. Officials cited festive shopping, household cleaning, decorations, crackers, and packaging as the primary contributors to the spike.

Between October 17 and 24, 2025, PMC's Solid Waste Management Department collected a total of 18,591 tonnes of waste, 12,157 tonnes of which was dry waste and 6,343 tonnes of wet waste. Daily collections during the festive week ranged from 2,700 to 2,900 tonnes, up from the usual 2,300 tonnes, driven largely by paper, plastic wrappers, packaging materials, and leftover food.

The highest collection was recorde...