Mumbai – In an effort to refine the segregation of solid waste at Mumbai’s waste unloading sites and dumping grounds, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is introducing informal waste pickers into its waste management strategy.
This initiative aims to bolster the efficiency of waste sorting and improve overall waste handling processes. The deployment will focus on several key areas: the Deonar landfill and Refuse Transfer Stations (RTS) in Mahalaxmi, Kurla, Gorai, and Versova. These RTS facilities serve as crucial points for the temporary deposition and aggregation of solid waste before it is transferred to the Deonar landfill or the Kanjurmarg waste processing centre.
Under the new plan, informal waste pickers will be stationed at these RTS sites to segregate waste into dry and wet categories. This segregation will facilitate the extraction of valuable recyclable materials such as plastic, glass, polythene, and electronic waste. By enabling these pickers to reclaim and resell such materials, the BMC anticipates this will not only help in revenue generation for the pickers but also enhance the efficiency of waste management. Historically, the absence of a coordinated approach led to conflicts among different groups of waste pickers scavenging from BMC bins, which affected the overall efficiency of waste segregation and recycling.
The new system seeks to address these issues by providing a structured framework for waste management. The BMC has Issued an expression of interest (EoI) inviting NGOs and waste picker organisations to participate in this initiative. While the BMC will not provide direct compensation to the pickers, they will be allowed to retain the proceeds from the sale of recyclable materials. Current data indicates that approximately 600-700 Metric Tonnes (MT) of waste is processed daily at Deonar, with 650 MT at Mahalaxmi RTS, 400 MT at Gorai RTS, 300 MT at Versova RTS, and 700 MT at Kurla RTS. Mumbai generates around 6,000 MT of solid waste each day, highlighting the scale of the challenge and the potential impact of this new strategy.
