From that spark, the Bavdhan Citizens Forum (BCF) was born—a free platform where residents could raise civic issues that everyone faces but few act upon. Once electricity and traffic issues stabilised, the forum turned its attention to encroachments, pollution, and most urgently — waste. Plastic bottles, food waste from dhabas, and open garbage piles became a daily sight. Going beyond the usual dry-wet segregation, it mapped the entire chain — garden waste, e-waste, hazardous waste, plastics, metals, even thermocol. Since hills fall under the Forest Department and not the PMC, garbage collection often goes ignored.