Revamped collection system threatens waste pickers’ jobs

BBMP invited tenders to collect wet, dry, sanitary and other waste in a segregated manner from households and small commercial establishments in a new manner

The BBMP’s plan to revamp door-to-door waste collection has left more than 2,000 waste pickers managing Dry Waste Collection Centres (DWCCs) wary of losing their jobs.

As per the tender document, the private agency — which bags the contract of collecting waste — is expected to send “only” 25% of the dry waste to the DWCCs, which opens up an avenue to divert the high-value waste elsewhere. This, waste pickers believe, will financially cripple the DWCCs.

Last month, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) invited tenders to collect wet, dry, sanitary and other waste in a segregated manner from households and small commercial establishments, including hotels, by deploying covered and compartmentalised auto-tippers.

As it engages a single agency to collect all waste, the civic body also plans to do away with the existing practice of sending a separate vehicle to collect dry waste. The non-profit organisation that works with waste pickers has demanded withdrawal of the tender saying the waste workers are facing the threat of losing their jobs.

The organisations want the BBMP to make it mandatory for private firms to send all dry waste to the DWCCs. The waste pickers also want the clause stating only 25% of dry waste would be sent to DWCCs dropped from the tender.

Online petition

“In spite of the huge contribution of waste pickers in the informal and formal solid waste management system in Bengaluru, the new tender ignores the workers’ contribution, skill, and knowledge for managing inorganic (dry waste) in the city. More than 2,000 workers are facing the threat of losing their jobs with one faulty policy decision,” an online petition raised by Thyajya Shramika Sangatane, a collective of waste pickers, stated.

Mansoor Gous, who manages a BBMP-owned DWCC in Jayanagar, said he has been able to run the centre so far because all types of dry waste, including high-value ones, comes to the facility.

“To segregate a ton of dry waste, we need a minimum of eight workers. The centre needs to earn Rs 4,000 a day to pay their salary by selling the high-value waste. So far, we were going to houses to collect the dry waste. If this task is taken away from us, the DWCCs will only get dry waste that is of no value,” he said.

Clause misinterpreted: Palike

The Palike, for its part, says the clause of only 25% dry waste be dropped at the Dry Waste Collection Centres (DWCCs) has been misinterpreted.

“As the dry waste is collected on a daily basis and most DWCCs are unable to handle a higher volume of dry waste, we have capped the limit to 25%. If the DWCCs are willing to handle more dry waste, we are open to revising the norm after the pre-bid meeting scheduled on October 10,” Dr Harish Kumar, Special Commissioner of BBMP’s solid waste management, said.

The 25% norm, he said, were included in the last two tenders. “The new tenders are waste-picker friendly. We have also addressed the concerns of DWCCs that were unable to transport the no-value dry waste to factories by giving this responsibility to the private agency. This will reduce the expenses of DWCCs,” he said.