Board tells all commercial establishments to install, maintain litter bins outside premises
SHILLONG, Feb 17: The Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) has once again directed all commercial establishments, including street vendors, to install and maintain litter bins outside their premises. This latest order, issued as part of a new cleanliness initiative, aims to make Shillong a “litter-free city” by April 2025.
According to an official notice from the SMB’s Chief Executive Officer, business owners will be responsible for maintaining the bins and ensuring proper waste disposal through municipal collection vehicles. The directive applies to all shops, markets, and street vendors, who are required to immediately start compliance, with full implementation expected by April.
If this directive sounds familiar, it’s because it is. The SMB issued similar orders in 2019 and again in 2022, both times emphasising the need for businesses to install litter bins and maintain cleanliness. Yet, much like Shillong’s unpredictable traffic, enforcement of these orders has been erratic at best.
In 2019, the order was met with half-hearted implementation, with many bins either disappearing or overflowing due to poor collection mechanisms. The 2022 directive faced similar issues, with some businesses complying initially but later abandoning the effort as enforcement faded.
Now, with 2025’s version of the order, one can hope for this to stick and finally see a 2025 litter free Shillong.