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Integrating the informal sector in Municipal Solid Waste Management
Pune Municipal Corporation

A. Problem Analysis

 1. What was the problem before the implementation of the initiative?
Pune was an emerging industrial hub after 1970s. This transformation resulted in rapid growth of the city. Increasing migration and development resulted in pressure on basic services such as water supply, sewage and solid waste collection. In 1988, the PMC had to appoint contractors for picking up the garbage in the city. Between 1992 and 1995, the PMC mechanized the system of waste collection and the waste was dumped openly at various sites. However, in 1996 the Kothrud Garbage Depot had to be shut down after agitation by local residents and citizens groups. ‘Municipal Solid Waste Management and Handling rules 2000’ by Supreme Court made door to door collection (DTDC) of waste - a mandatory service for PMC. On the other hand recruitment of the new staff was a constraint due to fund flow. Coping with the rising demand for service with the limited staff strength was the challenge for the Pune Municipal Corporation.At the time, however, thousands of informal sector wastepickers were scavenging from containers, dumps, and the landfill to retrieve recyclable waste. They sold this to make a living. As per the initial data collected 90% of them were women, dalit (erstwhile untouchable caste), illiterate and economically from the poorest sections of the society. Many were harassed by municipal staff and police when they went out looking for recyclables. There was also rampant exploitation of the women and children wastepickers were common.

B. Strategic Approach

 2. What was the solution?
In 1993 KKPKP (kagad kach patra kashtakari panchayat) a trade union was established. Wastepicker women had mobilized themselves to form the union to fight for their rights. The PMC acknowledged the informal sectors union and issued Identity Cards to the members which enabled them to rightfully collect recyclables without harassment. In 2005 a pilot program was implemented in collaboration with the Department of Adult Education, SNDT Women’s University which enabled 1500 waste pickers to become service providers for the door to door collection of waste from households in Pune city. This considerably improved their conditions of work and upgraded their livelihoods effectively bridging the gap between households and the municipal waste collection service. The pilot was operational since 2006 and SWaCH formally came into existence and became operational in 2008. SWaCH is authorised to provide door to door waste collection and other allied waste management services by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). The scope of SWaCH includes collection, resource recovery, trade and waste processing. SWaCH seeks to provide decent livelihoods in the recycling industry. It is a one of its kind model that brings together the waste generators and makes them more involved with waste management, the waste pickers whose livelihood has been upgraded, and the PMC which is helped by the door to door service that SWaCH offers. It is a dignified and sustainable de-centralised, waste management model in the country. In 2008, the PMC signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with SWaCH to decentralize door-to-door collection services for households, shops, offices and small commercial establishments. The members of the cooperative often work in pairs and are in charge of door-to-door waste collection for 250-350 households. Waste pickers receive segregated waste (separated between wet or organic waste and dry wastes such as plastics, glass, paper, etc.) from house-holds /property. They further segregate the recyclables to be sold in the re-cycle market; non-recyclable waste is dropped at feeder points. Equipment is provided by the PMC and the wastepickers also collect user fee from residents of Pune in lieu of payment from the municipality. SWaCH also provides other waste management allied services such as composting of wet waste in spaces provided by the societies themselves. It is cost-effective model as it saves money otherwise spent on handling and transportation of waste. The waste pickers save Pune city Rs. 12 crores per annum in waste handling costs alone. The model is energy efficient and environmentally benefitting, as SWaCH waste pickers re-cycle the waste and reduce the quantity of waste sent to landfills. This reduces carbon and other green house gasses responsible for global warming. SWaCH collects more than 600 tonnes of MSW per day and about 130 tonnes of waste is sent for composting everyday and 150 tonnes is recycled. The SWaCH model is based on a symbiotic relationship between the PMC and informal sector workers. It helps PMC to use the available work force and also authorizes/legitimizes the role of informal sector, enhancing earnings and quality of life and work of members of SWaCH. Important stakeholders involved • Pune Municipal Corporation is the key stakeholder in implementing the initiative as a finance provider for administration and management cost. • Citizens – in this user fee based model citizens are the important stakeholders and wastepickers are directly accountable to them. • Wastepickers – Earn livelihood and provide environment friendly labour . • Other supporting organisations and partners in networking are Parisar, Centre for Environment Education (CEE), Kalpavriksh, Karve Institute of Social Sciences, Local Mohalla Committees, Alliance of Indian Waste pickers (AIW), Global Alliance of Waste Pickers (Global Rec).
 3. How did the initiative solve the problem and improve people’s lives?
SWaCH provides other waste management allied services such as composting of wet waste in spaces provided by the societies themselves. It is cost-effective model as it saves money otherwise spent on handling and waste transportation. The waste pickers save Pune city Rs. 15 crores per annum in waste handling costs alone. The model is energy efficient and environmentally benefitting, as SWaCH waste pickers re-cycle the waste and reduce the quantity of waste sent to landfills. This reduces carbon and other green house gasses responsible for global warming. SWaCH collects more than 600 tonnes of MSW per day and about 130 tonnes of waste is sent for composting everyday and 150 tonnes is recycled. • Path breaking model which could manifest from thought to reality. • A very strong organised trade union of waste pickers - the KKPKP • Successful implementation of the model with support from the PMC administration, political will and the positive response from citizens and citizens group. • The model is sustainable in long run as it helps build capacity of informal sector workers to cater to the service delivery of collection, handling and resource recovery, trade and processing of municipal solid waste. • The present DTDC coverage of SWaCH and the positive response of the citizens to the services provided by the SWaCH including allied services such as composting

C. Execution and Implementation

 4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
The goal of the best practice was to integrate the informal sector in door to door collection and to upgrade their livelihood. By authorizing the informal sector wastepickers to collect municipal solid waste, the municipality allowed erstwhile street waste pickers to get first and rightful access to waste. The waste they collect is less contaminated as compared to picking out of containers or dumps. More waste can not only be recycled but it also fetches better prices in the market. It is also an effective health initiative as wastepickers collecting out of containers often had to battle stray dogs, rodents and pigs. Wastpickers now find themselves authorized service providers with a legitimate, recognized and respected role in waste management. They have better equipment and rather than being associated with the waste they collect they are seen as waste recyclers. It also strives to make residents – the waste generators take more interest in what happens to waste after it leaves their homes. This decentralized method of waste management has been shown to be effective in source reduction of waste and curb the “use and throw” attitude that is unsustainable in the future. Corporatized models of waste management are centralized and weights based and are in direct conflict with a decentralized model where the waste generator is made aware of the waste they generate. Thus many societies now compost their waste and/or run biogas plants that make excellent use of organic waste and prevents it from going to the landfills To get the initiative off the ground, the kkpkp trade union leaders engaged with the elected representatives, and the residents of Pune. When the initiative first started only 2/3 elected representatives accepted this model. Currently however SWaCH works in most of the city. First, a free collection service was offered and gradually a user fee was raised. Waste collection drives and programmes were conducted all over the city and widely publicised in the local news papers by SWaCH and PMC. Continuous expansion drives were carried out to cover all the areas where there was administrative, political and citizen support. A website, newsletter, media coverage, innovate music programs, all become effective and necessary tools to continue to highlight the benefits of the model.
 5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
Stage I: Establishment of model and signing of MoU Stakeholders: PMC, KKPKP and SNDT Women’s University Role/Activities: PMC help in visioning and facilitation of the model, pursuing model in the General body of PMC, KKPKP – facilitation of the model , consensus development between and amongst the member as well as potential members; Managing and administering the collaborative pilot experiment in 2006 – of door to door collection of waste via waste pickers; with support from SNDT University. Stage II: Establishment of SWaCH co-operative Stakeholders: PMC and KKPKP Role/Activities: PMC facilitation of administrative and legal procedures, kkpkp agreement on the guiding principles of the cooperative State III : Operational phase Stakeholders: PMC & SWaCH Role/Activities: PMC facilitation and monitoring , SWaCH Service delivery, dealing operational matters, training and capacity building of the staff and members, continuous expansion, reaching out citizens Stage IV: Expansion of the service Stakeholders: PMC & SWaCH Role / activities: PMC suggestion on expansion, SWaCH facing the field level practicalities on potential of expansion The Zero Waste Project is also under implementation in 15 prabhags.Pune has the lowest per household per month outgoings for door to door collection. It costs the PMC only Rs 3/month/household in administrative expenses as compared to an avg. of Rs 25 incurred by other cities in India that have adopted professional waste management systems. Pune has the most ‘upgraded’ waste pickers who have learnt to drive tempos, run compost pits, biogas plants and scrap shops. 2300 wastepickers have been elevated out of poverty and into a semi-formalized waste management system, Pune has the highest number of decentralised organic waste management plants in the city - both biogas and compost and 130 tonnes is effectively diverted to the processing plants and 150-175 tonnes are recycled each day
 6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
The PMC as per the MOU signed with SWaCH and is liable to pay the following amounts each year to cover the administrative expenses of the initiative. Schedule of Payment from PMC: Year 1 - Total amount – INR 17,000,000.00 Year 2 - Total amount - INR 16,400,000.00 Year 3 - Total amount - INR 16,400,000.00 Year 4 - Total amount - INR 16,400,000.00 Year 5 - Total amount - INR 16,400,000.00 Total Amount of the 5 years - INR 82,600,000.00 There are approx. 100 staff members of the cooperative whose salaries are covered by the installments given by the PMC to the cooperative. In addition to this, several engineering colleges, schools, local corporates have been engaged with the initiative to assist in better designs of equipment, training of staff and wastepickers, and with small donations. SWaCH is also part of the national and global alliances of wastepickers that have been supported by WIEGO (women in informal economy globalizing and organizing) to disseminate the learnings of the model as well as learn from experiences around the world.
 7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
Pune has the largest user fee based waste collection model in the country (Over 3,80,000 households). SWaCH is presently working in 74 out of 76 prabhags across all the 14 administrative wards of the city. The Zero Waste Project is also under implementation in 15 prabhags.Pune has the lowest per household per month outgoings for door to door collection. It costs the PMC only Rs 3/month/household in administrative expenses as compared to an avg. of Rs 25 incurred by other cities in India that have adopted professional waste management systems. 2300 wastepickers have been elevated out of poverty and into a semi-formalized waste management system, Pune has the highest number of decentralised organic waste management plants in the city both biogas and compost and 130 tonnes is effectively diverted to the processing plants and 150-175 tonnes are recycled each day Advantage:  Safer environment for waste workers and reduction of poverty through steady, livable incomes.  Reduced health risks.  Enhancing recycling and climate change mitigation.  Compliance with waste laws, especially Government of India Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2000.  In its first two years of operation, SWaCH helped divert 42 percent of wet waste from the landfill, into the lands used for farming as fertilizer Successful Outputs • SWaCH is presently working in 74 prabhags across all the 15 administrative wards of the city. The Zero Waste Project is also under implementation in 15 prabhags. • Pune has the largest user fee based waste collection model in the country (Over 3,80,000 households). • Pune has the lowest per household per month outgoings for door to door collection. • Pune has the most ‘upgraded’ waste pickers who have learnt to drive tempos, run compost pits, biogas plants and scrap shops. • Pune has the highest number of decentralised organic waste management plants in the city - both biogas and compost. The contract with SWaCH has saved the municipal corporation more than Rs. 15 crores per annum in waste handling costs. The waste pickers, with the help of additional recyclable waste buyers, reduce the amount of nonbiodegradable waste sent to landfills by more than 20 percent. Through these diversions waste pickers helped reduce carbon dioxide emissions from transport as well as methane gas emissions released by decomposing organic waste in landfills.
 8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
Supervisors are appointed for each kothi who are monitoring day to day work of waste pickers & Supervisor’s work is regulated through ward and zone coordinaters. ALERT-G Complaint redressal system works to improve citizens participation in timely lifting of garbage. Citizens are informed & pamphlets are distributed which clearly mention website details & complaints are effectively resolved through this strong complaint redressal mechanism. Weekly meeting are conducted with SWaCH supervisors and coordinators at ward office level by PMC staff i.e. Sanitary inspectors, Divisional sanitary inspectors and Ward Medical Officers. Monthly meetings are conducted at the Central level to monitor and evalute progress of work. Meetings are conducted with Residents which help in monitoring work. Citizens are provided with 24x7 Helpline number – 9765999500 for queries, complaints and feedback. Mohalla Committee (Local residents committee) meetings are held on last Thursday of every month at decentralised level i.e.at ward office level and on 1st Saturday on every month at Centralized level i.e.Joint Municipal Commissioner level. Weekly, monthly quarterly and yearly reporting formats are designed. Citizen Outreach Activities are conducted as follows– 1. Pamphlets – about SWaCH and the model; Segregation of waste etc. 2. Newsletter – in both English and Marathi; circulated electronically as well as printed copies. 3. Citizen Feedback – Through home visits, in written form, organising events, over e-mail etc 4. 24x7 Helpline number – 9765999500 for queries, complaints and feedback 5. Interactive website http://swachcoop.com/about-swachpune.html Meetings and Follow up meetings at the Vasti level (slum level), consultations, presentation on the benefits of the SWaCH model with KKPKP helped in legitimizing the model are conducted. Trainings for waste pickers on various issues related to their work including Communication, Health measures; Use of Equipments, Songs etc. are given.
 9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
Collection of user-fees from the citizens (better citizen outreach) - A letter from Municipal commissioner requesting citizens to cooperate with SWaCH members and pay the user fees was issued. - Continuous interaction of the waste pickers and SWaCH staff with the citizens to explain the model and collection of user –fee - Citizen Outreach Activities Segregation of waste by the citizens - Regular interaction of waste pickers and SWaCH staff with citizens - Distribution of pamphlets and explaining the necessity for segregation - Encouraging citizens to segregate their waste by organizing events, through radio programmes, newsletter etc. - Not conquered completely – efforts are still on

D. Impact and Sustainability

 10. What were the key benefits resulting from this initiative?
Pune has the largest user fee based waste collection model in the country (Over 3,80,000 households). SWaCH is presently working in 74 out of 76 prabhags across all the 14 administrative wards of the city. The Zero Waste Project is also under implementation in 15 prabhags.Pune has the lowest per household per month outgoings for door to door collection. It costs the PMC only Rs 3/month/household in administrative expenses as compared to an avg. of Rs 25 incurred by other cities in India that have adopted professional waste management systems. Pune has the most ‘upgraded’ waste pickers who have learnt to drive tempos, run compost pits, biogas plants and scrap shops. 2300 wastepickers have been elevated out of poverty and into a semi-formalized waste management system, Pune has the highest number of decentralised organic waste management plants in the city - both biogas and compost and 130 tonnes is effectively diverted to the processing plants and 150-175 tonnes are recycled each day Advantage:  Safer environment for waste workers and reduction of poverty through steady, livable incomes.  Reduced health risks.  Enhancing recycling and climate change mitigation.  Compliance with waste laws, especially Government of India Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2000.  In its first two years of operation, SWaCH helped divert 42 percent of wet waste from the landfill, into the lands used for farming as fertilizer RESULTS ACHIEVED • SWaCH is presently working in 74 prabhags across all the 15 administrative wards of the city. The Zero Waste Project is also under implementation in 15 prabhags. • Pune has the largest user fee based waste collection model in the country (Over 3,80,000 households). • Pune has the lowest per household per month outgoings for door to door collection. • Pune has the most ‘upgraded’ waste pickers who have learnt to drive tempos, run compost pits, biogas plants and scrap shops. • Pune has the highest number of decentralised organic waste management plants in the city - both biogas and compost. • Path breaking model which could manifest from thought to reality. • A very strong organised trade union of waste pickers - the KKPKP • Successful implementation of the model with support from the PMC administration, political will and the positive response from citizens and citizens group. • The model is sustainable in long run as it helps build capacity of informal sector workers to cater to the service delivery of collection, handling and resource recovery, trade and processing of municipal solid waste. • The present DTDC coverage of SWaCH and the positive response of the citizens to the services provided by the SWaCH including allied services such as composting The contract with SWaCH has saved the municipal corporation more than Rs. 12 crores per annum in waste handling costs. The waste pickers, with the help of additional recyclable waste buyers, reduce the amount of nonbiodegradable waste sent to landfills by more than 20 percent. Through these diversions waste pickers helped reduce carbon dioxide emissions from transport as well as methane gas emissions released by decomposing organic waste in landfills. The number of waste pickers involved with SWaCH increased from 1,403 in June 2008 to 2,300 at the beginning of 2013. The total number of households and commercial properties covered by door-to-door collection also increased dramatically during this time, rising from 140,255 to 3,80,000 – and increase of The user-fee system provides them with a more reliable monthly income, plus they continue to earn money from the traditional means of selling scrap and plastics.
 11. Did the initiative improve integrity and/or accountability in public service? (If applicable)
The initiative has been replicated in the following places - SWaCH has signed MoU with Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) on the similar lines of the door to door service. - The Zero Waste Project executed in Katraj Kothi has been replicated to 15 prabhags in Pune - Ahmendabad Municipal Corporation interested in replicating the model. - Nepal and other Asian countries have come to Pune to see the initiative and parts of it will be implemented in those countries. Dissemination : Information about this initiative has been shared at various national and regional platforms. - Mr. Suresh Jagtap, Joint Municipal Commissioner shared the model as the “Largest user fee based eco-friendly door to door segregated waste collection system in India” with representatives of the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) from all the cities of India – at the National ULB consultation held in April, 2012. - SWaCH members have participated at various national and international events including the COP 17 meeting on Climate Change in Copenhagen in 2009 - SWACH has made its presence felt at the National Conference of the ‘Alliance of Indian Waste Pickers’ in Pune in April, 2012. Representatives and waste pickers from 13-14 cities across India visited the SWaCH model in PMC and PCMC - ‘Vasundhara’ Award was conferred upon SWaCH granted by the Maharashtra State Environment Ministry for the film ‘We SWaCH’. It won the first prize in the amateur category, at the Aapla Paryavaran Film Festival. - SWaCH won an award for the Best Environmental Project at the Vishwa Exhibition held in December 2011. - SWaCH won the Avni Mitra award by Talwarkar Trust in February 2012. - SWaCH and its initiatives have been documented and featured in works of many national and international organisations such as Inclusive Cities, Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO) etc - Eg1. Article on SWaCH campaign with the scrap shops in Pune - http://www.inclusivecities.org/blog/making-scrap-shops-part-of-the-solution/ - Eg2. SWaCH featuring on the British Council website – a film by Tanya Pinto - http://blog.britishcouncil.org.in/2012/04/02/films-for-the-future/ - Eg3. Article on SWaCH in Waste Management World - http://www.waste-management-world.com/index/from-the-wires/wire-news-display/1664955367.html - Eg4. Articles in leading daily newspapers - http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/society/article3253701.ece
 12. Were special measures put in place to ensure that the initiative benefits women and girls and improves the situation of the poorest and most vulnerable? (If applicable)
PMC SWaCH PPP is the Path breaking model which could manifest from thought to reality. Successful implementation of the model is possible with joint efforts PMC administration, political will and the positive response from citizens and citizens group. The model is sustainable in long run as it helps build capacity of informal sector workers to cater to the service delivery of collection, handling and resource recovery, trade and processing of municipal solid waste. Financial support of local government body for administrative purpose. Third party inspection by involving corporate can help to develop professionalism among the waste pickers.Motivational training and Capacity building of wastepickers will develop professionalism and effective customer redressal mechanism .Other livelihood options like composting and better job opprtunities will make the model sustainable. The present DTDC coverage of SWaCH and the positive response of the citizens to the services provided by the SWaCH including allied services such as composting. A wastepicker led, decentralized model of waste management is scalable and possible This can effectively upgrade the lives of wastepickers and also help local municipality Waste generators are willing to pay for services of the wastepickers. Waste generators can be mobilized to segregate waste at source and make decentralized waste management possible Decentralized waste management by the urban poor can be cost effective to the municipality

Contact Information

Institution Name:   Pune Municipal Corporation
Institution Type:   Government Agency  
Contact Person:   Suresh Jagtap
Title:   Joint Municipal Commissioner  
Telephone/ Fax:   +91 – 20-25501104 / +91-9689931414
Institution's / Project's Website:  
E-mail:   sjagtap@punecorporation.org  
Address:   Department of Solid Waste Management, Pune Municipal Corporation Shivajinagar,
Postal Code:   411005
City:   Pune
State/Province:   Maharashtra
Country:  

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