| 4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
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Katraj’s appearance changed with the implementation of the Zero Garbage Ward model. It is noticeably cleaner than surrounding neighborhoods, and residents report quality of life improvements such as leaving windows open and fewer mosquitoes. The following figures represent the changes:
- Door-to-door collection. Before, 30 percent. After, 90 percent.
- Segregation. Before, 600 households. After, 8,500 households.
- Mixed waste to landfills. Before, 10 tons per day. After, less than 2 tons per day.
- City transportation. Each ton of waste costs the city Rs. 800-900 with fuel and labor. Reduction by eight tons saves the city, on average, Rs. 6,400-7,200 every day.
A major contributor to the results of the new model is its reliance on waste pickers. Instead of turning its back on the informal sector, the Zero Garbage model incorporates it, making use of the available manpower. The model enhances the quality of work of the waste picker, while also meeting demands for neighborhood cleanliness and limiting garbage sent to landfills. Waste pickers in Katraj earn more money than in other parts of the city and have less hazardous work because of the door-to-door integration. The morale of waste pickers in Katraj also benefited from meetings with professionals from Cummins India. Last, but probably most important, is that signs up social mobility for the families of waste pickers are already evident. The head of SWaCH reported that all children of waste pickers in the test ward are now enrolled in school.
There were several unintended outcomes that developed during the implementation phase of the project. The first dealt with payment to waste pickers for door-to-door collection. During the first two months of the project, Janwani paid waste pickers Rs. 1 per day per household for door-to-door collection. However, not all waste pickers performed the duty. There was no accountability. Instead, project partners devised a direct user-pay system, where households provide the Rs. 1 per day for collection.
Zero Garbage Ward project introduces a unique idea, distinctively new approach to a problem solution, implementation design in the context Indian culture and habits of the community.
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| 5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
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To initiate the process, Janwani teamed with MITCON Institute of Management for an intensive study of current practices of waste management in the Katraj ward. Discoveries includes number of households and community waste containers, total waste created daily and waste composition. It also looked at logistical features including extent of current door-to-door coverage and feeder points. This study allowed Janwani and partners to tailor its strategy and devise an implementation plan based on actual data, not citywide averages.
Next, waste pickers were provided with the necessary infrastructure, including multiple bins for the segregated waste, raincoats, gloves, soap, pushcarts, and cycle rickshaws, all funded by money provided by Cummins India. SWaCH Cooperative trained the waste pickers on segregation of organic and plastic/glass/metal waste and how and where to take non-recyclable garbage. Lastly, the PMC fully integrated waste pickers into the ward’s door-to-door collection system.
The residents of Katraj also needed training. Cummins India volunteers raised awareness among the residents about the value of waste segregation and distributed bins to the households for segregated waste. Project partners launched “Swatchnta Mitra,” a cleanliness campaign that involved local citizens. In addition, Janwani commissioned a local performer for puppet shows to teach the residents about segregation in a fun and innovative way. Despite all the volunteers’ efforts, when the project was first initiated, residents did not provide waste pickers with segregated waste, so continual education was used to alter their behavior.
In the last phase, the project was implemented in separate pockets of the ward and community waste containers were removed from the area. Removal of waste containers was a significant step because it forced residents to use door-to-door collection instead of dropping mixed waste into these containers. Lastly, technology to create value from the organic waste went online. A biogas plant opened in Katraj that uses the organic waste to create electricity to power area street lights. A plant to create fuel pellets that can be used in industrial furnaces is still under development.
To guarantee effective monitoring and replication of the new process, Janwani and PMC developed an ISO manual, the first ever for solid waste management in India. The ISO details reporting systems to solidify the zero-garbage model. The ISO certificate was awarded in January 2012 and will last three years.
The project involves transformation within large framework.Innovative methods, tools and techniques are used such as ISO, third party auditing.
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| 6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
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The total budget for the project is listed in the table below:
Partner Year 2010 Year 2011 Year
2012 Year
2013
Janwani $14,000 $10,000 $5000 $115384
Pune Municipal Corp. $87,000 $57,000 $ 307692
SWaCH Cooperative $7,000 $10,000 -
Cummins India -- $65,000 $ 46154
Total Budget (US $) 108000 142000
MOBILISATION OF RESOURCES
In terms of both monetary assistance and manpower, Cummins India was invaluable to the project. In addition to providing $65,000 USD, thousands of volunteers from the company fanned out across the test ward to speak directly with residents and explain the process of keeping organic kitchen waste in a separate bin from plastics, paper and glass. Cummins employees also marched through the streets of the ward and participated in public events to promote cleanliness. Lastly, volunteers met with individual waste pickers, meeting as one professional to another, raising the self esteem of these sanitation workers.
In terms of monetary assistance, Cummins donation went toward provision of infrastructure to improve the quality of life of the waste pickers. The funds helped purchase bins, gloves, raincoats, soap, pushcarts and cycle rickshaws, which aided the waste pickers in their work. Without the financial support of Cummins, the Zero Garbage Ward projected would not have been able to provide these items in such a swift manner.
SWaCH and Janwani worked together to train waste pickers on the new system. In addition to teaching the new system, the number of registered waste pickers in the Katraj area increased from 20 to 45.
Pune Municipal Corporation provided capital, operational and maintainance cost of processing of organic waste in bioas plant. In addtion to these equipments (pushcarts, buckets), safetly gears, health insurance facilities for wastepickers are provided through PMC budget. Vehicles required for transporation of segregated waste such as bell ringing automized vehicles are provided. Space required for segregation of inorganic waste into multiple categories is also provided by PMC in the form of sorting shed. Applying ISO for the project
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| 7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
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To initiate the process, Janwani teamed with MITCON Institute of Management for an intensive study of current practices of waste management in the Katraj ward. This study allowed Janwani and partners to tailor its strategy and devise an implementation plan based on actual data, not citywide averages.
Next, waste pickers were provided with the necessary infrastructure, including multiple bins for the segregated waste, raincoats, gloves, soap, pushcarts, & cycle rickshaws, funded by Cummins India. SWaCH Cooperative trained the waste pickers on segregation of organic & inorganic waste & how & where to take non-recyclable garbage. Lastly, the PMC fully integrated waste pickers into the ward’s door-to-door collection system.
The residents of Katraj also needed training. Cummins India volunteers raised awareness among the residents about the value of waste segregation &distributed bins to the households for segregated waste. Project partners launched “Swatchnta Mitra,” a cleanliness campaign that involved local citizens. Janwani commissioned a local performer for puppet shows to teach the residents about segregation in a fun and innovative way.
In the last phase,community waste containers were removed from the area. Removal of waste containers was a significant step because it forced residents to use door-to-door collection instead of dropping mixed waste into these containers. Lastly, technology to create value from the organic waste went online. A biogas plant opened in Katraj that uses the organic waste to create electricity.
To guarantee effective monitoring & replication of the new process, Janwani & PMC developed an ISO manual, the first ever for solid waste management in India. The ISO details reporting systems to solidify the zero-garbage model. The ISO certificate was awarded in January 2012 and will last three years.
Katraj’s appearance changed with the implementation of the Zero Garbage Ward model. It is noticeably cleaner than surrounding neighborhoods, & residents report quality of life improvements.
- Door-to-door collection. Before, 30 percent. After, 90 percent.
- Segregation. Before, 600 households. After, 8,500 households.
- Mixed waste to landfills. Before, 10 tons per day. After, less than 2 tons per day.
- City transportation. Each ton of waste costs the city Rs. 800-900 with fuel and labor. Reduction by eight tons saves the city, on average, Rs. 6,400-7,200 every day.
A major contributor to the results of the new model is its reliance on waste pickers. Instead of turning its back on the informal sector, the Zero Garbage model incorporates it, making use of the available manpower. The model enhances the quality of work of the waste picker, while also meeting demands for neighborhood cleanliness & limiting garbage sent to landfills. Waste pickers in Katraj earn more money than in other parts of the city &have less hazardous work because of the door-to-door integration.
Zero Garbage Ward project introduces a unique idea, distinctively new approach to a problem solution, implementation design in the context Indian culture and habits of the community. The project involves transformation within large framework.Innovative methods, tools and techniques are used such as ISO, third party auditing.
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| 8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
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Developed indicators for measuring the performance
centralized and decentralized meeting to measure the performance using the indicators
Swachhta Mitra local citizens to monitor the progress
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| 9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
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Any project for that matter at the initial phase would face problems in the initial phase and the main problem that was encountered was lack of citizens participation as during the start of the project people in the area were apprehensive about the whole new system that was to be implemented and had questions about its effectiveness.The main challenge that was primarily encountered was regards to take the effective participation of the people and change the current practice of the methods of waste disposal practices prevelant among the masses and remove the community bins in the area and therefore volunteers help was taken for providing education to the people but despite all the volunteers’ efforts, when the project was first initiated, residents did not provide waste pickers with segregated waste, so continual education was used to alter their behavior.
Cummins India volunteers raised awareness among the residents about the value of waste segregation and distributed bins to the households for segregated waste. Project partners launched “Swatchnta Mitra,” a cleanliness campaign that involved local citizens. In addition, Janwani commissioned a local performer for puppet shows to teach the residents about segregation in a fun and innovative way and therefore the problems were overcome with effective participation from the stakeholders as well citizens.
There were several unintended outcomes that developed during the implementation phase of the project.
Payment to waste pickers: During the first two months of the project, Janwani paid waste pickers Rs. 1 per day per household for door-to-door collection. However, not all waste pickers performed the duty. There was no accountability. Instead, project partners devised a direct user-pay system, where households provide the Rs. 1 per day for collection.
Problems of street sweeping: Street sweepers normally dump collected waste into community waste bins, but in Katraj, the majority of those bins are now gone. The sweepers were left with limited disposal options. To combat this problem sweepers are directed to transport their waste the feederpoints where waste pickers also bring their waste.
Problems of Residents: However, the main challenge to sustaining the Zero Garbage Model is human behavior. In areas where community bins remain in Katraj, household collection rates are lower because residents have the option to use the mixed-waste bins. When these are removed, household collection should approach 100 percent. However, attitudes about cleanliness vary widely. Convincing all residents of the importance of cleanliness could present a challenge in the future. To combat this problem in future replication, Janwani is preparing a research study of residents’ attitudes in the test ward to identify factors that contribute to the probability of participating in waste segregation.
In addition to further research on segregation, Janwani also proposes that future replication focus on door-to-door collection first and segregation second. Cleaner streets and a livable urban environment have a more direct affect on residents. These visual cues are more likely to help sustain changes in waste management behavior over a long period of time.
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