A glimpse into the waste management system of Pune (Part II)

As we know, Indore is known as the cleanest city in India and has bagged this title four times in a row. It has succeeded in implementing its well-designed plan on ground level. Some of creditable features are its door to door collection, mannerly segregation and disposal of different types of waste, having garbage transfer stations, conversion of waste to fuel, focusing on recycling and citizen co-operation as well. All these factors have together contributed towards Indore’s success. It is frugal innovation at its best.

Pune is gearing up to achieve a similar efficient waste management system. We already have a door-to-door collection system, community bin collection by dumper placers and collection from chronic places as well. Let’s dig into some of the organizations working in this field. The Pune Municipal Corporation can adopt innovative waste management methodologies from the strategies of Indore and other cities.

From developing new waste processing plants to encouraging people to segregate waste, Indore has done it all. One of the unique strategies that they have adopted is the collection of organic waste at the source, like markets or at the Chappan Dukan -a place for local eateries. 750- 800 kgs of waste is collected each day. This waste is converted to biofuel in biomethanation plants and utilised to run buses, or supplied to restaurants as cooking fuel. The remaining waste is used as compost, which is supplied to the farmers for free.

In addition to this, collection of household waste by going door to door is also made efficient. Waste collection vehicles are properly tracked immediate measures are taken in case a vehicle breaks down. This facilitated the huge roadside garbage bins in the city to be removed. The places where garbage used to be mindlessly dumped, are now some of the cleanest streets in India. The roads are swept daily. Sewage water is treated to be safe, and recycled by spraying it on the streets. The city also has a helpline where people can register complaints whenever they encounter a cleanliness issue in the city. It is ensured that the problem is solved in 48 hours.

Dumping yards are a nuisance to the people working or settled in the surrounding areas, as elaborated in our last article. Today’s central waste processing facility of Indore used to be one of the biggest known dumping grounds of Indore the city. The city has succeeded in levelling and enhancing this land and creating a park there. There are also plans for making a golf course in the area.

Pune too has its fair share of organizations that are toiling to conquer the perpetual problem of waste management. These organizations have stuck to their forte and have decided the role they’ll play in Solid SWM. They have taken up initiatives ranging from awareness to actual ground work. Adar Poonawalla Clean City Initiative is one of the many initiatives making Pune greener and cleaner. It is an environmentally sustainable initiative, undertaken by Serum Institute of India and Mr. Adar Poonawalla as a social responsibility. To make our streets greener, cleaner and to improve India’s image, the initiative has pledged Rs. 100 Crores towards this cause. The Adar Poonawalla Clean City Initiative focuses on supporting the Pune Municipal Corporation with collection of street waste. A variety of initiatives like litter picking and bin installation have been undertaken with this motive in mind.

Another organisation making a mark in this sector is Swach. In 2005, a pilot program implemented by Kagaz Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat enabled waste pickers to become service providers for the door-to-door collection of waste from households in Pune. This has effectively bridged the gap between households and the municipal waste collection service. The pilot eventually transformed into Swach. Waste pickers receive segregated waste and they further segregate it into recyclables and non-recyclables. The model is energy efficient and environmentally beneficial, as SWaCH waste pickers recycle waste and reduce the quantity of waste sent to landfills. This reduces carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for global warming. SWaCH collects more than 600 tonnes of MSW (Municipal Solid Waste) per day, about 130 tonnes are sent for composting and 150 tonnes are recycled. Not just (only) these two, but many other organizations are (also) working towards effective SWM. To name a few, we have Janwani- an organisation involved in raising awareness and doing special projects like ZERO waste project with PMC; Cummins India, CHF, Shelter Associates – organisations involved in raising awareness, Noble exchange – a company that collects, segregates, and processes organic waste into biogas.

Conclusively, Pune City is taking action to reduce its solid waste management problem. Pune is also gearing up to introduce many more initiatives like the Bottle Kiosks which will gives money in exchange for depositing plastic wrappers, plastic bottles or glass bottles. With such initiatives and our collective effort, we are definitely on our way towards achieving a cleaner and greener Pune

Now that we’ve looked into the waste management process on a macro scale, our next and final article in this series will focus on the micro ways in which we individuals can improve our waste footprint. Stay tuned!