Shweta Jena
Following the Indore model, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) introduced a new trash collection procedure in the city on September 1. Bypassing garbage collectors and doing away with the necessity for segregation sites, this method collects waste door-to-door using tiny vehicles, transfers it to larger ones, and then transports it straight to processing facilities.
Bhikaji Londhe has been picking up trash from households in the Viman Nagar neighborhood of Pune door-to-door for the past six years. But now that his livelihood is in jeopardy due to a pilot project by the PMC. He used to collect rubbish from 150 homes in Rajiv Nagar South, earning Rs 15,000 per month in collection fees from the public and Rs 7,000–10,000 from the sale of the dry debris that had been separated.
The news has shocked Londhe, who is affiliated with Swach, the city’s self-employed waste collectors’ cooperative. “Small cars are suddenly moving into my area’s roadways and bylanes,” stated Londhe. Although his wife works, “it is not enough,” and that people have stopped giving them waste.”
A collection fee of Rs 90 per month is paid to each of the thousands of Swachh trash collectors who have been collecting waste door-to-door since 2008. After the workers separate the debris, it is loaded onto garbage trucks for additional processing. The dry garbage is also sold by the workers. This approach has received praise from all around the world for incorporating the unorganized sector and enabling trash workers to participate in the system.
However, once workers separate the waste, the PMC has been getting reports about it being thrown on the roads over the years. The PMC made the decision to start a pilot project in order to solve these issues. The PMC’s Solid Garbage Management Department head, Sandeep Kadam, refuted claims that the project will affect garbage workers’ livelihoods. “Waste workers still service about 50% of the houses,” he continued.
However, Lubna Anantakrishnan, CEO of Swach, claimed that the PMC had proceeded with the trial project without adequate input and asked the civic organization for further clarification.