In 2011, Bengaluru city was not formally segregating its waste. Unsegregated waste was collected by the municipal corporation from households, roads, and local dumping sites, and transported to dumping sites in the neighbouring villages of Bengaluru.
By 2013, Bengaluru was generating 4,000 tonnes of waste per day (BBMP 2013) . It is estimated that by the year 2047, if business goes on as usual, the total waste generated in India will be about 260 million tonnes per year, amounting to a market value of over 3.6 billion euros (EBTC n.d.). It comes as no surprise then, that with population increase, economic growth and changing consumption patterns, solid waste generation—a by-product of increasing urbanisation—is accelerating. Simultaneously, this growth brings into light the necessity and increased potential for the reuse and recycling of urban waste materials.
With citizens and waste pickers organising in Bengaluru, the focus was to decentralise waste management and segregate waste at source, along with composting and integration of waste pickers in management of dry (inorganic) waste. The BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike – Greater Bengaluru Municipal Corporation) believed in this strategy and started building Dry Waste Collection Centres, decentralised aggregators of non-organic waste. BBMP promoted that the bulk waste generator (more than 50 households or generating 10 kgs of organic waste) should manage their own waste through BBMP empanelled vendor/s. These principles later became part of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. Bengaluru led the way for the nation on strong principles of waste management.
In 2017, waste pickers and informal waste collectors in Bengaluru entered into an agreement with the BBMP to facilitate door-to-door collection of segregated dry waste through Dry Waste Collection Centres (DWCCs). This is the first and only local government that has signed an agreement with waste pickers for solid waste management in the city and it is considered as a model in the country.
For waste pickers, it was important to change the way they worked in order to be relevant in the changing landscape of Solid Waste Management in the city. Hasiru Dala trained them to become entrepreneurs to operate DWCCs, Biomethanisation plants, and be service providers of door-to-door collection of waste.
From August 2020, BBMP’s system (enshrined in the SWM Bye-Laws of 2020) is that every DWCC will be managed by waste pickers or SHG groups of waste pickers and women, who will also manage the door-to-door collection in their respective wards. Prior to this the source of incoming waste for the DWCC was through drop off inorganic waste by informal collectors at the DWCCs. In the new system, all types of dry waste i.e. both recyclable and non-recyclable waste is collected, processed and sent to proper destinations thus minimising the waste that gets diverted to landfills.
Of these 141 DWCCs in Bengaluru, 37 centres are run by waste pickers and Self-Help Groups supported by Hasiru Dala, and we are to support the running of another 22. Our role is that of Resource Organisation (RO) which is to oversee the collection, the data transparency, validation, value creation, grievance redressal, and social inclusion of the informal workers. The BBMP looks at Hasiru Dala as a resource organisation and lead of the other 5 resource organisations that are engaged in facilitating dry waste collection in remaining wards. In the city, for dry waste management, waste pickers have now become entrepreneurs hiring anywhere between 5-20 waste pickers depending on the quantum of waste received.
The women and men who work tirelessly to keep our cities clean often lead a very difficult life, with poor income, no social security, lack of access to quality health care and basic education for their children. Despite this, they work towards mitigating climate change by making sure that thousands of tonnes of recyclable waste every year is diverted from the landfills.
Video: Goutham G Varrier
Challenges
Hasiru Dala’s challenge during the process of integrating waste pickers into the Solid Waste Management framework of Bengaluru was threefold.
First, making sure waste pickers moved away from collecting dry waste on the roads, and became service providers and entrepreneurs. This required deep behavioural changes among waste pickers; from learning to interact with officials from the BBMP, learning new skills of driving, composting, data keeping, and even getting used to uniforms!
Second, getting the BBMP to accept that waste pickers’ skills could be leveraged for a sustainable waste management system, and embracing the ideas of decentralisation of waste management was challenging.
Lastly, segregation of source called for behavioural changes among the citizens. For this effort to be a success it also required a deeper change in their perception and attitude towards waste and waste pickers.
Despite all the good work done by municipal authorities, the DWCC infrastructure is dilapidated as set-ups were done on an ad-hoc basis. They do not function well as permanent installations. Weather-related events, including those induced by climate change, have exacerbated the toll. For example, flash floods have caused severe damage to DWCC infrastructure and to collected recyclable waste (resulting in loss of value and recyclability). This leads toward unsanitary conditions for the workers, increasing vulnerability to dengue, malaria, skin lesions, and illnesses from proximity to black mold.
Our Approach
Our approach is centered around dignity in labour for waste workers. In order for waste workers to have dignity in livelihood, we have created an approach that will increase financial stability and improve working conditions.
- Training and upgrading the skills for waste pickers to become service providers. Training provided include, organic waste management, event waste management, and a certification course: Enhancing skills of small entrepreneurs in the recycling industry, in collaboration with Waste Wise Trust and Jain University. (A deemed University)
- Working with the local, state and union governments towards policy and legislative changes for inclusion of waste pickers into the formal waste management of the city that assures dignified and predictable income.
- Training waste pickers to be hired by the government and private entities avail their services in door to door collection of waste.
- Dry Waste Collection Centres – started in Bengaluru and since, have expanded to Mysuru, Tumakuru, Hubbali/ Dharwad, Davanagere, Chamarajanagar, Ullala, Rajahmundry. DWCCs showcase the three cornerstones that define the Sustainability Model – Social Considerations, Economic Considerations and the Environmental Impact.
Four Tiered Program for Dry waste management
Dry Waste Collection Centres as public-private partnership
Hasiru Dala has been supporting 45 Dry Waste Collection Centres (DWCCs) run by erstwhile waste pickers and scrap dealers in 5 cities of Karnataka and plans to expand to more cities and wards. Hasiru Dala’s role in managing DWCCs include supporting entrepreneurs to run these centres, generating awareness amongst residents through citizen engagement in areas of segregation at source and sustainable methods of waste management, and streamlining collection of dry waste in these particular wards.
Hasiru Dala Aggregation Center
With continuous changes to the system, whether because of COVID-19, demonetisation, or changes in tax structure, the fluctuation of the recycling industry market prices has had a direct impact on the lives of informal collectors due to unpredictability.
Waste pickers who are managing DWCCs have stocked material in their homes and small shops, and require more space for collection and sorting of waste. To cater to these challenges, Hasiru Dala is setting up 3 aggregation centres in Bengaluru with the capacity to sort and grade 4-6 tons of dry waste everyday. The aggregation centres will help jumpstart and revive the recycling industry post the COVID 19 lockdown. The planned cluster collections from slums is the first initiative of its kind with the aggregation centres that will provide the direct benefit of fair price to the waste pickers.
Plastic Recycling Program UNDP Swacchatha Kendra
UNDP India in collaboration with Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd. (HCCBPL), has initiated implementing ‘a project – PRITHVI’ on Plastic Waste Recycling Management in 50 cities in India. Hasiru Dala is the implementing partner for the project in Bengaluru city. The project’s main objective is to establish a more sustainable community led approach for integrated plastic waste management and efficient recycling.
Unlike aggregation centres, Swacchatha Kendras also up-cycle plastic. The centre is equipped with a low-density polyethylene machine which converts unusable plastic into a raw material that can be used to manufacture plastic products.
The project also introduces technology applications to monitor day-to-day transactions at centres on incoming and outgoing material making overall traceability within the existing supply chain easier.
With the addition of the aggregation centre and plastic processing unit under UNDP’s program, Hasiru Dala is now looking at integrating waste pickers at larger Material Recovery Facilities. Waste Pickers and scrap dealers have so far efficiently been able to manage DWCCs. Stepping into running of processing and aggregation units will enable them to establish and scale their work larger units as well as and explore new business models.
Material Recovery Facility (MRF)
Material Recovery Facilities have been set up in Davanagere, Rajahmandry and the twin cities of Hubbali/Dharward. The plan in these cities to set up DWCCs at the ward level where waste will be sorted and graded. The material will then be moved to the MRF for processing. This will be a hub and spoke model used for managing dry waste. This is based on a PPP model where the land and building infrastructure is given by the city, machinery and technical support will be provided by Hasiru Dala, and the centre will be eventually managed by trained waste pickers.