Human beings generate about 0.2 to 0.6 kilogrammes of waste daily, which is maximum among all living beings. In order to keep the human localities clean and healthy this waste is collected by human beings only. But in this process many of the garbage collectors get infected to various communicable diseases, which ultimately affect their entire life. Does it not our responsibility to care for them, look to their well being, alleviate their sufferings and offer them a respectful livelihood? Shri Sanjay Kambale of Latur took up this challenge about 18 years back and made the waste collection process easy so that these people can live a dignified life. He has so far transformed the lives of 250 rag pickers and 42 leprosy cured people.
MAJORITY of us living in urban areas must have come across the situation when the garbage was not collected from our homes or localities for just few days inviting huge hue and cry due to the foul smell. But we hardly think of the sufferings of the people who collect this waste from the homes, streets, hospitals, etc. to keep us clean and healthy, and get afflicted to various communicable diseases while picking the infected waste in unhygienic conditions. In Latur city alone, hundreds of garbage collectors got infected with leprosy and suffered throughout their life. This reduced their average life to about 35 years only.
Shri Sanjay Kambale in Latur made a dent in 1995 by starting care for these people. Under the banner of Janadhar Sewabhavi Sanstha he started organising health camps at Kushth Dham and Vilasnagar slums for these people. Later, some initiatives to make them self-employed were started, but they turned out to be a failure. He then started Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in Vilasnagar, where the majority residents earned their livelihood by picking waste articles like broken glass, papers, metal scrap and the like from the garbage and selling them to the wholesale scrap merchants. In order to find a lasting solution, Janadhar started an innovative programme based on the principle of self-employment, co-operation, education, protection and dignity. The results of all these initiatives are now worth emulating.
Shri Kambale started Jansewa Solid Waste Management Co-operative Society with 165 women in 2003. Today, a total of 450 women under 70 SHGs are engaged in collecting waste in Latur city alone. The experiment of ‘Ghanta Gadi’ (a waste collection vehicle ringing its bell on arrival) rationalised the work to a great extent. The people are requested to keep their trash ready and preferably segregated in organic and non-organic or wet and dry waste, specially the left over foods, vegetable and fruit wastes etc.
In this process, the waste collectors were imparted training for personal presentation viz wearing of neat clothes and aprons, masks, protective hand gloves, neat and clean hair keeping, soft gentle language. One worker with one ‘Ghanta Gadi’ collects waste from about 300 houses. This service is not free. “After all only those who generate the waste have only to pay for its disposal,” says Shri Kambale.
The collected waste is brought to a common point where it is further segregated. The waste material, which can be recycled, such as glassware, metals, plastic bags and packing material is sold through Sheshak Kharedi Vikri Kendra (Remnant Purchase Sale Centre). The organic matter, which is decomposable, is used for making fertilizer in vermi-compost pits. The vermi-compost pits are the compost pits charged with a population of specific type of earth worms, which convert organic matter into very fine and best quality manure. Besides all these waste materials, there is material such as stumps of the tree, coconut shells, banana peels, tree leaves, and crop wastes, which cannot be decomposed readily. This material is used for Briquette formation.
As a child Shri Sanjay Kamble used to visit the leprosy afflicted people out of compassion. But when grew he, with the help of some physicians, started conducting medical camps for them. With frequent and continuous contact and discussion with the people he sold an idea of founding a voluntary organisation for their development. As first major step, he focused on capacity building of these people. By consulting the experienced and educated people from waste management an outfit, Jansewa Ghan Kachara Vyavasthapan Sehakari Sanstha Maryadit (Janseva Dirty Waste Management Co-operative Ltd), was formed in December 2003.
Janadhar has now obtained a coal manufacturing furnace from Pune’s Aarti Research Institute to manufacture kandi coal from garbage. This ‘coal’ is utilised in many industries. The furnace is located in the colony of leprosy patients. Family members of leprosy patients were trained in coal manufacturing. Women collecting garbage bring leaves, grass, etc fallen on the road to the furnace workers. The coal manufacturers pay these women for this material and make money by selling this coal manufactured in the furnace. The Sanstha has also started gaining grounds in nearby Ausa city. More than 40 garbage collectors have joined there. Many societies in the area have lauded this model of sanitation. A sanitary napkins disposal project has been started in Pune.
A regular school and also bridge course for the school dropouts are also run in the locality of the garbage collectors. Apart from starting insurance scheme for garbage collectors, identity cards have been issued to every garbage collector. Identity cards proved to be a strong tool to justify themselves, as most white collar individual suspects these people as wrongdoers. The experiment of SHGs proved such a hit that a group has a bank balance of more than Rs. 48, 000. A women SHG has started a grocery shop. The estimated turnover of the shop is about Rs. 2 lakh per month, which fetch them revenue of Rs 20,000 per month. Supported by Vishwa Super Market, Latur, the grocery shop was inaugurated by noted saint Acharya Kishor Vyas.
Since every waste collector’s contribution towards waste management solution is noteworthy, the Janadhar makes them realise the huge impact of their daily contribution, which in turn makes them feel proud and satisfied.
