Indian Express 24.03.2010
New players in waste collection: Swach opposes civic body plan
Express News Service Tags : corporation, civic Posted: Friday , Apr 23, 2010 at 0103 hrs
Pune: Swach, the cooperative of door-to-door waste collectors, has raised objections to the Pune Municipal Corporation’s plans to involve other participants in the waste collection initiative.“We are surprised that despite an operative MoU signed between Swach and PMC in 2008, the civic body did not consulted them about the new move to involve other participants,” said Shabana Diler of Swach.
Following several complaints from elected representatives, the PMC had recently decided to involve more than one participant in the door-to-door waste collection.
This decision, she said, impacts Swach’s team of over 1,600 waste collectors providing doorstep service to over a million Puneites. Complaints about Swach has been cited as a reason but no chance was given to them to respond to these complaints.
The Swach model, as it has come to be known, be known, provides a win-win situation for citizens, PMC and waste collectors to improve the degrading environment, Diler said.
Due to complete segregation and diversion of wet waste to farms, about 64 waste containers have been removed. This helps the PMC to achieve the goal that no waste go to landfills like Uruli since the dry waste is recycled and wet goes for composting, she said.
The Swach model is increasingly being cited nationally and internationally as a near perfect model of waste management, Diler said.
rovides a win-win situation for citizens, PMC and waste collectors to improve the degrading environment, Diler said.
