The Informal Waste Sector: 90% of the waste in India, is collected by the Informal Waste sector. The following Article Explains how the Informal Sector works:
The Informal Waste Sector in developing Countries:
Developing countries have various methods to recover recyclable material from the solid waste stream. In some cases local industries are strongly dependant on availability of recyclable materials for re processing. Some of these materials include cardboard, various paper products, different types of plastics and metals.
Most methods used to recover recyclable materials are inefficient and disregard the basis principals of occupational health and safety. These methods cause significant environmental and health problems, especially when collecting certain materials such as batteries from home or waste from hospitals. The recent episode where a scrap dealer bought radio active material from a Delhi University services as a strong example.
In large cities with large residential dwellings where high – mid income groups live, the waste collector typically sort through the waste and remove recyclables before the municipality vehicle arrive for collection from road side bins or in most cases dumps. The most common types of materials that are recovered are, cardboard, paper, plastic and aluminium cans. In areas where there is a high volume of recyclable materials, waste is stored at a specific location and later collected by commercial trucks.
As door to door collection is usually undertaken by the informal sector, which has little or no use of organic waste, in many places waste is segregated when it is collected from source. The organic waste left over is then disposed off at the side of road or in a road side dumps. This waste which still holds a high degree of recyclables that do not demand a hight market price and some materials that were over looked by the waste collector is collected and dumped at the dumping ground owned by the city or municipality.
Most dumping grounds, such as the one in Gazipur (Delhi) attract hundreds if not thousands of individuals (referred as rag pickers) for recovery of a Varity of recyclable material for sale. Most of these individuals live near or on the disposal site. This makes it easy for them to stock their goods, and have their family (in most cases young children) participate in the segregation activities. These individuals work under conditions that pose a grave risk to their health and wellbeing.
As the quantum of waste grows, it is becoming increasingly challenging for municipalities to deal with MSW in an effective and efficient way. Challenges such as allocating land for a scientific landfill sites, source segregation of waste at the house hold level, treatment of organic waste and the inclusion of the informal sector in the process of defining stringent waste management policies and procedures has become imperative.
The Informal Waste Sector in developing Countries:
Developing countries have various methods to recover recyclable material from the solid waste stream. In some cases local industries are strongly dependant on availability of recyclable materials for re processing. Some of these materials include cardboard, various paper products, different types of plastics and metals.
Most methods used to recover recyclable materials are inefficient and disregard the basis principals of occupational health and safety. These methods cause significant environmental and health problems, especially when collecting certain materials such as batteries from home or waste from hospitals. The recent episode where a scrap dealer bought radio active material from a Delhi University services as a strong example.
In large cities with large residential dwellings where high – mid income groups live, the waste collector typically sort through the waste and remove recyclables before the municipality vehicle arrive for collection from road side bins or in most cases dumps. The most common types of materials that are recovered are, cardboard, paper, plastic and aluminium cans. In areas where there is a high volume of recyclable materials, waste is stored at a specific location and later collected by commercial trucks.
As door to door collection is usually undertaken by the informal sector, which has little or no use of organic waste, in many places waste is segregated when it is collected from source. The organic waste left over is then disposed off at the side of road or in a road side dumps. This waste which still holds a high degree of recyclables that do not demand a hight market price and some materials that were over looked by the waste collector is collected and dumped at the dumping ground owned by the city or municipality.
Most dumping grounds, such as the one in Gazipur (Delhi) attract hundreds if not thousands of individuals (referred as rag pickers) for recovery of a Varity of recyclable material for sale. Most of these individuals live near or on the disposal site. This makes it easy for them to stock their goods, and have their family (in most cases young children) participate in the segregation activities. These individuals work under conditions that pose a grave risk to their health and wellbeing.
As the quantum of waste grows, it is becoming increasingly challenging for municipalities to deal with MSW in an effective and efficient way. Challenges such as allocating land for a scientific landfill sites, source segregation of waste at the house hold level, treatment of organic waste and the inclusion of the informal sector in the process of defining stringent waste management policies and procedures has become imperative.
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