Waste pickers: solution to B'luru's urban waste woes?

Urban India is failing to manage the 62 million tons of waste that it generates annually. It is estimated that Karnataka alone generates over 9,500 tons of municipal solid waste per day, with only 5,200 tons being collected and merely 2,000 tons of it treated. Bengaluru is a prime example of a city that is clearly in over its head when it comes to managing its waste properly -- it alone generates about 3,500 tons of garbage a day.

There are garbage piles at every street corner and regular protests from residents living around the unsanitary landfills and dumping grounds. Municipal authorities, however, remain reluctant to tap into a workforce of thousands, available right here in the city, who have the requisite experience and local knowledge of waste management to truly solve Bengaluru’s urban waste crisis.

I speak of waste pickers, individuals whom we have all seen picking up garbage across the city. They are self-reliant, economically independent, and are engaged in two of the most crucial activities that help sustain cities: waste management and recycling. It is estimated that waste pickers independently recycle over 20% of the total waste generated in India.

Typically, a waste picker works over 12 hours a day sifting through waste to collect recyclable material such as paper, metal and plastic. She then segregates and sells the material to local kabadiwalas and earns between Rs 15 to 60 for a hard day’s work. Waste pickers keep the environment clean and clear out waste that would otherwise clog the city’s drains and landfills and cause havoc in our urban lives.

Yet, the contribution of waste pickers is acknowledged neither by the government nor much of civil society. Instead, they are repaid for their efforts with dog bites, diseases, and constant police and public harassment.

One way to ameliorate the condition of waste pickers would be to formally integrate them into the local municipal bodies. This has been mooted by many high-powered government committees in India, including The CAG Audit on Municipal Solid Waste in India (December 2008), the National Action Plan for Climate Change and the Asim Burman Committee.

The importance of waste pickers in solid waste management in urban India was underscored by the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, section 11 (b). The indispensability of waste pickers in addressing the garbage problem in urban India has been acknowledged in these reports and in the law. It is now high time to formally implement these recommendations.

Bengaluru could emulate the highly successful model of integration followed by Pune Municipal corporation, which integrated 2,700 waste pickers and granted the co-operative society formed by them (SWaCH) the right to collect waste across the city. It is no wonder that Pune is currently one of the cleanest cities in India.

Formal integration would also address the issue of waste pickers sustaining cuts, burns, bruises, rashes and various diseases due to their constant exposure to hazardous wastes such as broken glass, used syringes, harmful toxins and putrefying matter, by providing them with basic protective gear such as gloves, coats and shoes.

The problems of police harassment and denial of access to waste can be addressed by the Karnataka government by providing proper identification documents that recognise the rights of waste pickers to access, segregate, and sell recyclables collected across the state.

The looming disaster

Even if all of the above measures are pro-actively adopted by the Karnataka government, there is a far greater peril looming on the horizon that threatens the livelihoods of lakhs of waste pickers in India. This threat comes in the form of the exorbitant Goods and Services Tax (GST) now applicable on recyclable materials.

Before the advent of GST, Value Added Tax (VAT) on e-waste and metal scraps was 6% and 5.5% on recycled plastic, with all other scrap materials such as glass, paper and cardboard exempt from the tax altogether. This acted as an incentive because it made the price of recyclable materials low enough to make recycling and sale of recycled products a viable employment option for traders and waste pickers.

However, the tax on recyclable materials has now risen to 18%. This has increased the costs of recycling to a rate at which it is cheaper to make products from virgin materials than from recycled materials. The Karnataka government should consider granting a stipend to waste pickers each month that would help them tide over this current crisis in recognition of their help in ameliorating its waste burden.

Waste picking is a form of employment that requires neither capital investment nor specialised skills, and is one that provides employment to the poorest of the poor and the most vulnerable sections of our society. It is one that neither India nor its civil society can afford to lose. Waste pickers are indispensable in combating the crisis in urban waste management in India.

As a first priority, the GST rate on recyclable materials must be reduced to save both cities and the livelihoods of an estimated 15 lakh waste pickers in the country. The Karnataka government must implement the above-mentioned solutions to help protect waste pickers and accord them the dignity and recognition that they truly deserve.

(The writer is a Research Fellow at the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy)