PMC should ensure that in situ composting is done everywhere, says expert

The PMC has approved the public health and sanitation bye-laws 2017, which it will mainly execute with the help of SWaCH. The waste pickers who cannot get integrated into door to door collection will start offering composting services or other value added services to citizens to ensure an environmentally robust, decentralised, accountable, low cost model that is economically efficient too. PMC subsidy must get processed much faster- ideally a fund created for SWaCH to be able to pay waste pickers this amount directly without much delay as otherwise slum collection starts dropping and has to be started afresh. Currently, for instance PMC itself runs free collection services in some pockets via ghanta trucks as well as via corporator What are difficulties mainly faced by waste pickers while conducting door to door collection? Although waste pickers in Pune have earned an identity for themselves through their autonomous organisations KKPKP and SWaCH, and for the large part enjoy dignity of labour and respect, there are many issues they face like delayed payment by citizens of user fees, delayed delivery of PMC equipment, delayed payment of SWaCH instalment by PMC causing turnover of immediate support staff of SWaCH which play a critical role in supporting waste pickers and sorting out their day to day issues.