Waste pickers to play a crucial role in solid waste management

Cities like Pune and Bengaluru have successfully done this, using the know-how of the informal waste pickers for better recycling of dry waste. 

The draft of the by-law mandates the integration of informal waste pickers to handle the massive volume of dry waste generated across the city. The draft state that the Corporation should “Establish a system to recognise organisations of waste pickers or informal waste collectors and promote and establish a system for integration of these authorised waste-pickers and waste collectors to facilitate their participation in solid waste management, including door to door collection of waste.” 

The draft also stresses on facilitating the formation of Self-Help Groups, provision of ID cards to the informal waste pickers, authorise them to work at resource recovery centres to sort recyclables, and provide regular training on solid waste management. 

Dharmesh Shah, a policy expert on solid waste management, said that waste pickers can play a crucial role in the solid waste management system in cities. 

“The effectiveness of integrating them has been proven in cities like Pune and Bangalore. 

However, it requires more than just policies to make this a reality. Proactive mechanisms have to be put in place to enumerate, enrol, train and integrate informal waste workers,” he said, pointing out that the Corporation’s by-laws haven’t outlined a plan to implement this.  

In Pune, the waste pickers union – Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat (KKPKP) – has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). “In Pune, they are engaged in the collection and sorting at the recycling separation facilities and the organic composting centers,” added Dharmesh. 

Bengaluru became the first city in India to issue official identity cards to waste pickers, after training them to work at recovery centres and also operate some of these facilities. 

“Over 7,500 waste pickers got their ID cards, which had the logo of the Corporation and the Commissioner’s signature, identical to the Mayor’s card. These waste pickers have the skill to segregate valuable dry waste, collected twice every week. 

Every ward in Bengaluru has a dry waste recovery centre. In 2016, 15 centres were operated by informal waste pickers. By 2017, all these centres were operated by these workers. We are planning to expand this model to other cities in Karnataka,” said Nalini Shekar, co-founder, Hasiru Dala, a non-profit organisation working with waste pickers and the government to implement these measures.