Sample Study of Informal Waste Pickers in Bangalore September

Sample Study of Informal Waste Pickers in Bangalore

September -October 2010

Contents

Introduction Page 1 Methodology Page 2 Survey Findings Page 4 Maps Page 10 Focus Group Discussions Page 12 Case Studies Page 16 Conclusion Page 19 Annexure Annexure 1- Survey questionnaires Page 21 Part I. General information of wastepicker Page 21 Part II. Family background Page 22 Part III. Housing/Household information Page 22 Part IV: Questions related to work Page 23 Part V: Additional Information Page 37

Annexure 2- Maps Page 38 Annexure 3- Legal Provisions and Recommendations for Integration of Wastepickers into the Mainstream Economy Page 44

CHF International/Mythri Sarva Seva Samithi, September –October 2010 1

Introduction With increasing urbanisation, the quantity of waste being generated is cities are growing rapidly. A large informal workforce - wastepickers, itinerant buyers and recyclers, plays a crucial role in managing the city’s waste. However, there continues to be a little or no recognition to their contribution to the city’s solid waste management and the positive impact they have on the environment. Traditionally, waste picking has been a caste-based profession, one that is considered ‘unclean’ and hence, socially despised and disrespected. The World Bank estimates 1-2 % urban poor in developing countries are involved in wastepicking. In India it is estimated that there are 15 lakh wastepickers and itinerant buyers. (Source: Alliance of Indian Wastepickers). In addition to local waste pickers, every metropolis in the country today has a large migrant population, with a significant proportion of them working in the waste picking industry. They are invariably from a socially and economically disadvantaged section of society. Given how mobile the migrant population is, and the fact that they remain on the city’s periphery, they are often neglected with little or no access to basic services. Waste picking, in earlier times used to be dominated by women, but as a result of rapid urbanisation, unemployment and poverty, there has been a significant rise in men in the waste picking industry. A handful of laws related to waste management and the unorganised sector exist but rights and entitlements of waste pickers are yet to be enforced. A value chain analysis study in Pune showed that waste pickers & itinerant buyers collect recyclable materials that amount to 22% of municipal solid waste and they save Pune city Rs.12 cores per annum in waste handling costs. In Delhi a study has shown that waste pickers & itinerant buyers collect recyclable materials that amount to 20% of municipal solid waste. In Bangalore, there has been no comprehensive study conducted on waste pickers. While it is common knowledge that there is a huge population of waste pickers in the city, there has been no enumeration exercise that has been conducted. In an effort to draw attention to this problem among policy makers and the general public, CHF International and Mythri Sarva Seva Samithi (MSSS) undertook a sample survey of 264 informal waste collectors in Bangalore September and October 2010. With the results of this survey, CHF International and MSSS hope to understand the different catergories of waste pickers that exist in Bangalore and their socio-economic conditions and initiate a process of change for the waste pickers. The funding for the study was jointly shared by CHF International and MSSS. While CHF International utilized its own funds, MSSS was supported by FEM Italia Onlus.


Methodology The survey was conducted over a span of 25 days in the month of September and October 2010, with the help of five surveyors (volunteers), five field assistants (waste pickers and field staff of organisations working with waste pickers) and two research coordinators. Initially CHF International and MSSS had discussions with wastepickers and catergorised waste pickers based on certain assumptions. A pilot study was conducted internally to test these assumptions. Based on preliminary studies, four broad categories of waste pickers were identified which include: 1. Migrant waste pickers, who have been living in the city for less than 10 years 2. Local waste pickers who have been living in the city for more than 10 years 3. Waste pickers who work only in landfills and 4. Contract municipal workers (“Pourakarmikas”) In addition to these categories, further distinctions were made for migrant and local waste pickers. While both these categories have ‘free roaming wastepickers’ and ‘wastepickers employed under a micro entrepreneur’, a new category ‘waste pickers linked to an entrepreneur’was found under migrant waste pickers. Questionnaire Survey questionnaires (Refer Annexure 1) were developed for each catergory of wastepickers and field tested. The questionnaires were aimed to gather quantitative socio economic data. Focus group discussions and case studies In addition to the survey, four short case studies and four focus group discussions were conducted. The case studies gave more detailed, qualitative information on the lives of waste pickers, while the focus group discussions gave insights on the attitudes of waste pickers on their work, the challenges they face, and where they see themselves in the future. Training An extensive two-day training programme was held for all the surveyors to administer the questionnaire with the help field assistants.The training informed the surveyors on how to undertake interviews and familiarised them with the survey questionnaire. Throughout the survey, questionnaires were examined closely for any errors or discrepancies to achieve maximum accuracy of data. Questionnaires that didn’t meet survey expectations were either redone or not considered. Sample size 264 informal wastepickers across various categories were surveyed in different locations in the city. Category I: Migrant waste pickers: 120 waste pickers a. Migrant wastepickers are further divided into three sub

categories; Free roaming migrant entrepreneur comprise of migrant wastepickers who work independently. They collect waste on their own and sell it to various scrap shops in the city. 20 samples for migrant free roaming wastepickers were collected. Waste pickers in this category are difficult to trace, as they do not have a fixed place of residence or work.


b. Migrant waste pickers linked to an entrepreneur are waste pickers who collect waste and are bound to one scrap shop, usually because they are either being provided a vehicle, loan/money advance or housing facilities by the entrepreneur. 50 samples of this category of waste pickers were collected.

c. Migrant waste pickers employed by an entrepreneur are

waste pickers who sort, weigh and unload waste brought to the entrepreneur. They usually live on the same premises, in houses provided by their employers. 50 samples were collected for waste pickers in this category.

Category II: Local Waste pickers: 104 waste pickers Under local waste pickers, there are two sub categories: a. Free roaming local waste pickers comprise of local

wastepickers who work independently. They collect waste on their own and sell it to various scrap shops in the city. 52 samples were collected for waste pickers in this category.

b. Local waste pickers employed by an entrepreneur are waste pickers who collect waste from various

places and sell whatever they collect to one entrepreneur. 52 samples were collected for waste pickers in this category.

Category III:

a. Waste pickers who work only in landfills: 15 waste pickers These are waste pickers who work in landfills, often hired by a contractor who pays them for recyclables they collect from landfills.

Category IV:

a. Contracted municipal waste collectors: 25 municpal waste collectors These are contract workers employed under the municipal corporation for waste collection in the city.


Survey Findings A total of 264 wastepickers across seven different catergories and subcatergories in Bangalore were sampled. Some of the major findings have been highlighted in this section. 1. Age A significant 40% of waste pickers of the 264 waste pickers interviewed are in the age group of 18 and 29 years; 37% are in the age group of 30 to 40 years; 21% belong to the 41 to 60 years age group and 1.5% to the ‘above 60’ years age group.

Among migrant waste pickers, 77% of workers fall in the broad age group of 18 to 40 years. The highest number of waste pickers in the 18 to 29 years age group was found mainly in two sub categories of migrant waste pickers namely ‘migrant waste pickers linked to an entrepreneur’ and ‘migrant waste pickers employed by an entrepreneur’.

Similarly, in the category of local waste pickers, the data reveals that 77.5% of waste pickers are in the broad age group of 18 to 40 years, while 20 % of waste pickers are between the ages of 41 and 60 years and 4% waste pickers were above 60 years of age. Among landfill workers interviewed almost equal number of wastepickers were in the age groups ranging from 18 to 60 years of age, while among municipal contract workers majority of the people interviewed were in the age group 30-40 years. 2. Gender Waste picking used to be a highly women-dominated profession. Over the years, the sector has seen a rise in the number of men. Out of 264 people interviewed, 52% are men and 48% are women. The analysis on gender clearly highlights that the number of women is higher in the category of local waste pickers than in the category of migrant waste pickers. Majority of the municipal waste collectors are women. The percentage of women and men waste pickers in the different catergories is given below:

Catergory Women Men

Migrant waste pickers 28% 72%

Local waste pickers 59% 41%

Landfill waste pickers 60% 40%

Municpal waste collectors 80% 20%


The analysis of the sub categories of waste pickers in summarized below:

Of the 120 migrant waste pickers interviewed -

• 80% of free roaming migrant waste pickers (FRM) are male and only 20% are female • 76% of waste pickers linked to an entrepreneur (WPLEM) are male and the remaining 24% are

female • 60% of waste pickers employed with an entrepreneur (WPEEM) are men and the remaining 40%

are women. Of the 104 local waste pickers interviewed -

• 65% of free roaming local waste pickers (FRL) are women and 35% are men. • 54% of waste pickers employed by an entrepreneur (WPEEL) are women, and 46% are men.

Of the 15 landfill waste pickers interviewed -

• 60% are women, and 40% are men. Of the 25 municipal contract workers -

• An overwhelming 80% (20) of contract municipal workers were women and 20% (5) were men. 3. Caste Majority of the 264 waste pickers belong to the “Scheduled Caste” (SC) catergory, an overwheming 46%; 21% belong to the “Other backward Caste”(OBC) category; 13% fall in the general category; 4% fall in the “Scheduled Tribe”(ST) catergory and 10% belong to ‘others’ which includes nomadic tribes, sheik, kounder etc.. The remaining 6% declined to answer.


4. Education The education level among both migrant and local waste pickers is very poor. Out of 264 surveyed, only 35% have attended primary school; 26% have specified that they are ‘uneducated’; a mere 9% have completed secondary education; 1% have higher education qualifications. There is no information for 29% waste pickers.

5. Source of migration 25% of the 264 wastepickers are from Bangalore. The highest numbers of wastepickers ( around 30%) are from Tamil Nadu, 20% are from other parts of Karnataka, 13% are from West Bengal and the rest from Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and various other states.

It is important to take into account that while migration from Tamil Nadu has been occurring for many years, the number of migrants from states like West Bengal and Bihar have steadily increased. Migration from other parts of Karnataka too has gone up significantly. 6. Income The total daily earnings of waste pickers in Bangalore range between Rs. 100/- to Rs. 200/- per day. Of the 239 waste pickers interviewed from all categories except municipal contract workers 70% earn between Rs. 100/- to Rs. 200/- per day, 17% waste pickers, earn less than Rs. 100/- per day while 12% earn more than Rs 200. It must be noted that age is not a major factor that is influencing their income as all age groups are evenly spread across the income brackets.


Around 81% migrant wastepickers earn between Rs. 100/- to Rs. 200/- per day, while 60% of local waste pickers and 60% of landfill wastepickers have similar earnings. Around 31% of local and 27% of landfill wastepickers earn less than Rs 100 /day while only 5 % of migrant waste pickers earn less than Rs 100/day. Similarly the percentage of migrant waste pickers (14%) earning more than Rs200/day is higher than local waste pickers (10%). The salary of municipal contract workers usually ranges from Rs. 2000/- to Rs 3000/ - month since the salary is deducted for every day of absence. They also get a supplemental income from the sale of recyclable materials segregated by them and service fees from households and shops; this ranges from Rs 25 – Rs 30 per day.

7. Working hours Majority of the waste pickers (nearly 39%) excluding the categories of landfill wastepickers and municipal contract workers work 8-10 hours a day. 46 % migrant waste pickers and 32 % local waste pickers work between 8-10 hours per day. Majority of the landfill wastepickers and municipal contract workers work between 6-8 hours day. The working hours are similar for women across all the categories. 31% of women are working in the 6-8 hour and 36% in 8-10 hour slots. 8. Work experience Among migrant waste pickers, the data indicates that waste picking is a recent trend. 55% migrant waste pickers began working as waste pickers only in the last 1-3 years. These waste pickers used to work in a variety of professions such as daily wage employees, auto drivers, farmers, house keeping & cleaners etc. On the other hand, among local waste pickers, the data shows that a majority (53%) of them have been engaged in waste picking for more than 10 years. Similarly, a majority of landfill wastepickers, have been engaged in waste picking for more than 5 years. Majority of the municipal contract workers who were interviewed have worked for less than 3 years.


9. Expenditure Nearly 47% of the wastepickers spend more than 50% of their income on food per day, while 92% of them spent 25% or less of their income on health care per month.

10. Challenges at work 21% of the respondents from all categories of waste pickers face harassment at work; Majority of them are harassed by BBMP workers, and a smaller number by the police and general public. The contract workers who were interviewed pointed to three specific problems that they face at work, pressure to complete their work within a specific number of hours; frequent break down of pushcarts/vehicles delay and irregular payment by scrap shops. Many contract workers work long hours without any extra remuneration for working over time. 11. Access to basic services a. Housing: 28% of waste pickers live in rented houses while 15% are homeless.

48% of migrant waste pickers live in temporary accomodation provided by their employer. 56% of municipal contract workers and 37% of local waste pickers own their house. Many municipal contract workers have been provided housing facilities by the Karnataka Slum Clearance Board.

b. Water and Sanitation: 60% of migrant waste pickers and 10% of local wastepickers do not have access to toilets and use open spaces for defecation. 86% of migrant wastepickers and 92% of local waste pickers depend on public taps and tankers for water. c. Health / life insurance: Only a handful of migrant, local waste pickers and municipal workers have life insurance. No landfill worker has health insurance.


d. Voter Identity cards/ Ration Cards/Bank account: Majority of the migrant waste pickers do not have ration card, voter Id or a bank account. 67% of local wastepickers have ration cards and 65% have voter ID. Only a negligible number have bank accounts. 12. Health 67% of waste pickers suffer from muscular pain as a result of their work. Other significant health problems that they face include communicable diseases, wounds/infections, skin diseases and respiratory infections. 61% avail treatment at private hospitals/clinics, while the remaining go to government hospitals or rely on self medication. 13. Financial assistance Out of the 259 people who responded to this question, 50% waste pickers approach their employers when they need financial help, 26% approach relatives/friends and 17% money lenders. 14. Working with Municipal Corporation 44% of waste pickers interviewed are keen on working with the municipal corporation. 35% are not interested in working with the municipal corporation. The reasons cited for this is that they either want to continue working as informal waste pickers or move to a completely different profession. Some waste pickers also mentioned that they prefer working independently as there is more flexibility and freedom at work. The remaining declined to answer.


Maps Location of Informal waste collectors in Bangalore

Refer Annexure 2 for location maps for different catergory of wastepickers


Location of Lanfills/Large Dumpsites in Bangalore


Focus Group Discussions Focus group discussions were held with four different groups of waste pickers. The discussions allowed for interaction among all the members of the group, and gave them the opportunity to give detailed opinions on various issues affecting them. The main purpose of the focus group discussions was to obtain information about waste pickers’ attitudes towards waste picking, the challenges they face, and where they see themselves in the future. The discussions focused particularly on whether waste pickers would be interested in working as contract workers with the BBMP. In addition to this, the FGD tried to find out how they felt about starting waste collection cooperatives. The main points that came out of each of the four discussions have been highlighted below: FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION 1- CEMENT HUTS, J.C. ROAD, OCTOBER 8, 2010 A focus group discussion was organized with 32 local women waste pickers on October 8, 2010. Most of the women present at this discussion had been working as waste pickers all their lives. They spoke at length about the routine challenges they face at work. Challenges

• Income: One of the major challenges that these women face is the sudden drop in waste rates. They earn approximately Rs. 500-600/- per week through waste picking, which is highly insufficient to run a family. They said that it is not clear why rates have dropped, but that it could be attributed to the increase in the number of waste pickers in the city.

• Competition: All the women said that in earlier days the price of waste was very low, but now it is much more and so there is a lot of competition, even from men, who were earlier less inclined to get into this profession.

• Multiple jobs: Many women present at the discussion said that they keep multiple jobs as waste picking doesn’t bring them enough money. This has taken a toll on their health and family life, they said.

• Weather: The rainy season is a hard period for the waste pickers. “When it rains, the waste is of no use and we cannot sell it,” was a common complaint.

• Timings: A waste picker’s day starts very early in the morning. Given the number of people working as waste pickers today, they are forced to wake up very early to collect waste. “There are no garbage bins where we can collect our waste from; we walk long distances in search of it.”

• Attitude of public: There is respect for waste pickers. People say, they are working for their livelihoods after all, and sometimes try to help us. But there are some who look at us with suspicion. If we work in offices and hotels or do door to door collection of waste, it might be more profitable. We would also like to do some work where there is more security, where we are given some benefits. If we work in offices, we might be given vehicles, equipments and a little more respect, said S.Shanti, a participant in the discussion.

Interest in setting up a business “We have the interest to do many other things, but we don’t have the means to do it.” The women were asked if they would be willing to start a small waste collection business, if they were supported by organizations. Many felt that that this was a good idea, and suggested ways in which this could be done. S. Shanti said, “Waste can be collected from one company. One person can be appointed as leader and she can take 10 people under her to collect segregate and sell waste. “


Shanti suggested that a group of women could get together and draw up a contract with some apartments in Marathalli. “We can collect waste from there and ensure that all waste comes to one place. “ Shanti pointed out that a vehicle would be required, and that they would need help in buying one. Shanti did have a similar business some years ago. She and three other waste pickers used to collect waste from Capitol Hotel, but they underwent a loss as there were many added expenditures such as diesel for the pick up vehicle, the vehicle loan. Moreover, there were many misunderstandings among them. “Many people do not want to work in groups..they have fights, don’t come to work early and there are many family problems. Sometimes, we have to go to their houses and call them when they are not regular. That is not good for the business, she said.” Despite this experience, Shanti was willing to try again. She said, “I want to be a part of a project. I think we’ll be able to do it. Even if we have to go far (distance), we’ll do it” However, there were some women who felt that this kind of business was not an option for them. “We have to know how to drive; if we are working for a company, we have to stick to specific timings which is difficult as we also have families to care of,” they said. Moreover, they said that collecting waste wouldn’t be easy as BBMP workers often don’t allow them to collect waste from apartments and garbage bins. Instead, they suggested that the BBMP hire more waste pickers like them. “We now have to bribe auto drivers and scrap dealers to help us transport waste that we have collected. If we work with the BBMP, we just have to collect waste, and the rest is handled by somebody else. We will also get a fixed salary.” Selvi, another waste picker said that offices did not want to hand over the waste to waste pickers. They preferred signing it over to private companies who have the infrastructure and resources. “Earlier, offices were open to selling waste to us, these days that’s no longer the case. Private companies get the best waste material, and hence make a lot more money than us.” FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION 2- PILLANA GARDENS OCTOBER 12, 2010 Seven local women waste pickers were part of this group discussion. These women had been working as waste pickers for the last 10 years in Hegde nagar, near Arabi College, Thanisandra and Nagawara. They are traditional workers, as their families have been engaged in waste picking since a very long time. The women themselves have been exposed to waste picking from a very young age. They collect waste from garbage bins, and sell up to 10-20 kilos of waste everyday. They earn between Rs. 100/- to Rs. 150/- per day. Saroja, who used to work as a housemaid earned Rs. 1500/- per month. As a wastepicker, she earns Rs. 2000/- per month. She said, “I didn’t have the energy to do housework. I used to work in three houses, and this is how much I earned. It is much more difficult than waste picking.” Interest in setting up a business When asked if they would be interested in starting a small business, Manjula, who was present at the discussion, said that it would be difficult to bring 5-6 people onboard as there could be differences, but if two people are designated to one area, they could collect the waste from there and manage their own money. It might be difficult to split the money among 5-6 people, there is no guarantee that everybody will be doing the same amount of work, she said. She did say that she would like to start a scrap shop so that she can save and earn a little more money. If not, Manjula wants a permanent job in a government department. Saroja, another participant, on the other hand said that this system would be more suitable for younger people. I am happy working on my own, she said. Bhayamma (60 years) also agreed. “We are old. We want


to be independent. We can’t follow a particular system. Bhayamma expressed her desire to quit waste picking altogether. “I want to stop working as a waste picker. I want to sit in one place and earn a living as a vendor.” Everybody said that they would be open to any kind of training / business as long as it is viable. The discussion stressed on their persistent interest in securing a government job. Stella said that the government could offer them a permanent job somewhere. “If we get a better job, we’ll go. Right now, I see collecting waste from apartments as my only option.” FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION 3- PILLANA GARDENS OCTOBER 13, 2010 Five male local waste pickers were present at this discussion. All of them have been working as waste pickers for the last 15-20 years. Waste is collected from areas such as Venkateshpura, Kadgondanahalli and Gandhi nagar. Munnavar and Latif collect scrap such as metals, bottles, paper etc. They earn Rs. 100/-150/- per day. The owner of the scrap shop gives them Rs. 1000/- per day as advance, and whatever waste is collected is sold back to the scrap shop, against the advance. This discussion too, like the earlier one focused largely on challenges waste pickers face in their work. The participants also spoke briefly on possibilities of starting a small business on their own. Challenges

• Weather: Abdul Rashid said that the biggest challenge they face is during the monsoon. “When it rains, we have to stop collecting waste. The price of waste goes down when it is wet and we don’t have sufficient space to store it. “

• Long hours: The work itself is very tiring and we are able to work only 5 days a week. • Income: Rashid said that he has been taking a loan for the last two years. “The interest is so high

that I keep borrowing money, it’s a never ending cycle. But what can I do? During festivals, especially, we have to borrow money”.

• Harassment: The police constantly harass them. “They call us thieves, we have to bribe them to keep them happy,” said Munnavar.

Interest in setting up a business “We don’t mind working within a system, but we don’t have any money to start one.” The men discussed the advantages of a routine, “We will have regular hours, a proper uniform, ID and training. But we would definitely prefer a permanent job,” they said. Right now, there is no agreement between waste pickers and apartments. Whoever pays more for the scrap is preferred. Sometimes a lot of people just come directly to the scrap shop and sell. They don’t care about waste pickers. Others don’t even ask for money, they just give it to us, said Munnavar. Mubarakk suggested that if more people got together to run a business, there has to be scrap shop owner who will give them more money. “Right now, each individual gets only Rs. 1000/-. Will there be someone who will give us more money?” he asked. Now we have to take Rs. 1000/- and pay interest as the days go by. If we have more credit, we can collect more waste.”


FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION 4- BASU REDDY COMPOUND, MUNNE KOLLALU (NEAR VAGHDEVI HIGH SCHOOL), OCTOBER 14, 2010 The waste pickers in the Munne Kollalu settlement are predominantly migrants from Delhi and West Bengal. There are at least a 100 families living in this settlement. There are 3 “tekedhars” who are in charge. Many of them have been here for the last 2 years, and collect waste on the streets of Nayandanahalli, Jolly Mohalla and City Market. They work between 8 am and 4pm everyday and cover a radius of 20 kilometres on their bicycles. This focus group discussion was more focused on getting a general picture of the lives of migrant waste pickers. Reason for migration to Bangalore “The price of waste is more here. The price of waste is Rs. 8/- per kilogram in other cities. Here, it is Rs. 10/- per kilogram. “ This is in contrast to what local groups of waste pickers said, that the price of waste had come down over the years. Many have migrated from Delhi as the Capital has more waste pickers and therefore there is less money. M.D Nazoor Islam (32) explains why he has migrated all the way from West Bengal. “There are no private companies in West Bengal, as there are elsewhere. The West Bengal government hasn’t allowed companies to start businesses. That is why there is also no work for people like us, who have no land for agriculture, and no opportunity to collect waste from companies. The daily wages for an agricultural labourer is very low in my state, he said. “The weather is also more conducive for work, here in Bangalore. In Delhi, it gets really hot in summer and we are just unable to work.” However, there are problems here too. There are drugs, alcohol easily available on their settlements, so hence there is harassment from police too. Police accuse them of being illegal migrants from Bangladesh. Not knowing the local language is a huge problem. There are many who are educated but they also engage in waste picking because they couldn’t find jobs in their home states. We’ll just stay here till the government kicks us out! Living conditions What is more striking is complete lack of basic facilities in the area. Although water is provided, it is no where near sufficient for all the families living there. The nearest government hospital is at least 6-7 kilometres away, and private clinics are beyond their reach. Lions Club sometimes brings around a mobile medical van. There is no electricity at all. There are approximately 50 children here, many of them of school going age, who spend the entire day either helping their parents at work or loitering around the area.


Case Studies Four different wastepickers were interviewed and case studies were prepared. The case studies give more detailed, qualitative information on the lives of waste pickers CASE STUDY 1: RATNA, FREE ROAMING WASTEPICKER Ratna, 35 has been living in Bangalore for the last 40 years. Her parents who worked as porters were too poor to send her to school, and so, she began working as a waste picker when she was 11 years old. She works between 6 am and 12.30 pm collecting waste from a radius of 2-3 Km. She earns a meager sum of Rs. 40-60/- per day, simply not enough to sustain a family of eight. “Earlier, there were more women in this profession. But now, there are many men who are waste picking. They have more stamina to walk, they know where to go and therefore, collect more material than we do and earn more than we do. This is a threat to our work,” Ratna says. Ratna got married when she was 18 and has four girls and three boys, between the ages of 3 and 16. Two of her sons study at a residential school on Tannery Road, and her seven year old daughter studies at Mavalli Ganapathi School. Her other two daughters dropped out of school after class VI, who will soon take the same route as their mother. Her house was demolished recently and they are living under a plastic sheet. The neighbors’ from where the waste is collected sometimes give them food to eat. She works as a domestic help on some days making a little extra money whenever she can but it still isn’t enough, and is often forced to borrow money from a local money lender. She pays an interest of Rs. 100/- every month for every Rs. 1000/- that she borrows. Her family spends more than Rs. 50/- on food every day; Rs. 30/- just on an injection every five months. If she or her children fall ill, the costs are separate. Ratna goes to a private clinic, and not a government hospital where treatment could be cheaper. “I have to bribe the medical staff at the government hospitals to get adequate treatment. Why should I do that? I’d rather spend that money at a private clinic where treatment is assured.” Other expenditure includes festivals, weddings and other functions within her community. “Festival seasons are particularly difficult; I end up spending Rs. 3000/- on clothes and sweets for the family!” she says. There is no permanent toilet in sight, just a make shift arrangement that she and her family uses. Due to unavailability of public taps, Ratna draws water from a nearby apartment. “Some of them object to this. So we either go very early in the morning or very late in the evening to fetch water. We get up at 3-4 am to have bath, as everyone else in the locality is sleeping during that time. There is no privacy and I get scared for my daughters, as drunken people come and harass us from time to time.” There is no real support from the police. “The police believe that we help thieves in this area and continuously question us on their whereabouts. How will we know anything about this?” Ratna is hoping that the housing scheme initiated by MSSS will materialize soon, and she and her family can lead a normal life. “I am really tired. I want my children to grow up well. I want a job that will enable to me to provide well for them. Maybe as a sweeper in an office or as a pourakarmika”, Ratna says.


CASE STUDY 2: HAKIM KHAN, WASTEPICKER LINKED TO AN ENTREPRENEUR Hakim Khan, 52 is from Haldia village, near Calcutta. He has been working as a ‘waste picker linked to an entrepreneur’ in Bangalore for the last two years. He was in Delhi previously, and has been doing the same work for the last 30 years. He earns between Rs. 3500/- to Rs. 4000/- per month. His family consists of his parents, wife, one daughter and two sons. His sons are auto rickshaw drivers in Delhi, and his daughter is married. His wife and parents live in Haldia, and are completely dependent on him. Khan sends home Rs. 1500-Rs. 2000/- every month. Khan used to be farm laborers before he entered waste picking but, wages were low and he soon joined his friends in Delhi and started waste picking. When asked if he wanted to continue doing this, he said, “We are poor. We have no choice. We like any work that will bring us money.” Farm laborers in Calcutta get only Rs. 100/- per day. Khan says despite earning more or less the same amount of money here, his expenditure is less. As a result, he manages to save some money as well. He visits Haldia every six months. Khan lives in a waste picker settlement in Munne Koval, in Marathalli where there are a 25-30 waste pickers from different parts of the country. There are 18 houses, provided by the entrepreneur who employs these waste pickers. The entrepreneur charges around Rs. 300/- as rent. Water is provided through a tanker, every four days; the expenditure for which is shared by everyone living in that settlement. Hakim used to work between 6 am and 7 pm but here, as a waste picker, he works only till 12.30 pm and earns a little more than he used to. The afternoons are free. Medical care is not easily available. The government hospital is very far, and Hakim says he prefers to go to a private clinic, even thought it costs more, as the treatment is better. He easily spends around Rs. 20-Rs. 30/- every time he visits a private clinic. Hakim spends approximately Rs. 1500/- on food every month and around Rs. 500/- on other expenses. Sometimes, there is travel expenditure too, he says. Hakim does not get any days off; he works everyday and doesn’t get any extra wages on the days he has put in extra work. “If we get better work, we will leave this. A government job would be best, but I have no education so who will give me a proper job? If we make a little more money, there is hope to move to a different profession”, he says. Hakim also felt that waste pickers have to be issued ID cards, as it gives them some kind of recognition from the government. “We are often harassed by the police, so if we have an ID card, we can show it to them. CASE STUDY 3: VELU, FREE ROAMING WASTEPICKER Velu, aged 15, has studied up to class VII. Velu’s parents are from Tamil Nadu but they moved to Bangalore 15 years ago, and have been living in Annaswamy area in Frazer Town. Velu stopped going to school because he couldn’t follow lessons in school, and has been working for the last two years. Velu roams around Venkteshpura, Hegde Nagar, Sarai playa and Kacharakana halli. He walks up to 8-10 km every day, and collects all sorts of waste material such as oil packets, glass bottles, water bottles, rubber chapels, cardboard etc, which amount to 4-5 Kg’s every day. This fetches him Rs. 100/- to Rs. 150/- per day. Velu was introduced to waste picking by a friend. He would roam the streets with his friends after dropping out of school, and soon picked up the trade. He started making some money and after that decided to do it full time. Velu is an addict. He sniffs whitener every day; each bottle cost him Rs. 30/-. He smokes and drinks regularly, easily spending another Rs. 20/- on it. When asked how he got into these bad habits, he says his friends would offer it to him, once in a while, and that’s how he became addicted to it. Velu has health issues such as persistent stomach and chest pain but he says he has no money to go to the doctor, but continues to stick to his addictions. Velu’s mother, who is 36, does domestic work and his father, 48, is a construction worker. His mother earns Rs. 2000/- per month and his father earns around Rs. 200-Rs. 300/- per day. Velu says he doesn’t share a very good relationship with his parents, and he hardly goes back home. He sleeps out on the streets, at scrap shops or in a tempo. Sometimes, he goes over to his aunt’s house and gives her Rs. 50/-.


He has a brother who goes to the government school in Sewa Nagar. He has two sisters; both are married and live in Chennai and Hosur. Velu faces many problems in his work. Once a government vehicle picking up beggars from the roads to put them in ‘Beggars’ Colony’, caught him and were about to take him away but he managed to escape, Velu says. In another instance, the police picked him up thinking him to be mentally challenged and put him in a remand home in June 2010, for four months. He was continuously harassed by the police during his time there. His parents had to go to the remand home in Madiwala to bring him back. Velu said he dreamt of becoming a carpenter, or selling clothes. CASE STUDY 4: SAKAMMA, MUNICIPAL CONTRACT WORKER (POURAKARMIKA) Sakamma, aged 35, used to work as a domestic worker, where she earned Rs. 300/- per month. She started working as a contract waste picker two years ago, as she felt that the salary was better. However, she says that doing housework was easier, as it involved on three hours of work everyday. As a contract worker, she works from 7am to 2 pm and earns Rs. 2300/-. Recyclables that she collects helps them earn Rs. 30/- per day. Sakamma says, “My actual pay is Rs. 3800/-. The contractor deducts Rs. 1500/- from it.” Her husband is a helper in BBMP and also earns Rs. 2300/- per month. But her husband’s job is not stable, she says, he works for a month and doesn’t for the next three months. She relies on a local moneylender in an emergency, who charges Rs. 100/- as interest for every Rs. 1000/- borrowed. Her worry is that they will not be able to save any money for their old age. She is able to send her children to school, and they are their only hope, she says. Her daughters are aged 18, 16 and 14. The older two girls have passed class X and the younger one is in class IX. The older girls work as house maids and earn Rs. 500/- and Rs. 300/-. “My elder daughters wanted to study, go to college but girls in our community generally don’t study beyond class X, so we asked them to stay at home. But I will educate my younger daughter.” Sakamma doesn’t mind doing the work she is doing but she feels that the government must take better care of contract workers like her. “I want to become a permanent BBMP employee, and earn a higher salary. People will also start respecting what I do, she says.”


Conclusion

There is lack of accurate data on waste pickers in Bangalore, and recognition of their contribution to the waste management in the city. Although there are several legal provisions for inclusion of waste pickers in the waste management of cities and to provide them welfare services the enforcement and initiative by the government is lacking. This survey gives a brief overview of the situation of waste pickers locally called “Nisarga Hasiru Daladavaru” (Nature's Green Warriors) in Bangalore. However, it provides a good basis for conducting a comprehensive enumeration of waste pickers by the urban local body to accelerate the process to recognise them and their contribution to the waste management system of the city. Enumeration will also provide wastepickers access to welfare services and livelihood. The survey provided some interesting insights on the differences between local and migrant waste pickers and emerging catergories of wastepickers like a new category of “migrant waste pickers linked to an entrepreneur” who are bound to one ‘micro entrepreneur’ selling everything they collect to the same micro entrepreneur everyday. Usually, these waste pickers are either provided with a vehicle, loan/money advance or housing facilities, making them completely dependent on the entrepreneur. Studies in other cities too, have indicated that this category of waste pickers, with their increased dependence on their employers, is turning into a fast growing phenomenon. Majority of wastepickers surveyed are migrants and migration from West Bengal and Bihar and other parts of Karnataka is on the rise. Also waste picking is a recent trend among migrants while majority of the local waste pickers have been engaged in the profession for more than 10 years. Similarly, waste picking used to be a highly women-dominated profession however the survey indicates that the number of men in the profession is increasing. All these factors are adding to the competition for waste in the city. From the focus group discussions it is clear that competition and the weather (monsoon season) are two main factors for decreasing waste quantities and incomes. This is contrary to the reasons why migrant waste pickers’ migrate to Bangalore, which is the higher value per kg of waste available in the city. A significant number of waste pickers interviewed are in the age group of 18 to 40 years. Their education level is poor and majority of them belong to the “Scheduled Caste” category. The working hours of wastepickers are an average of 8-10 hours and the hours of work is similar for women across all the categories. However the free roaming waste pickers are forced to start their day early and walk long distances since there are no garbage bins in the city.

Majority of wastepickers surveyed have incomes between Rs 100-200/ day and a few even earn more than Rs 200/- day. Age is not a major factor that is influencing the income of wastepickers as all age groups are evenly spread across the income brackets. The focus group discussions and interviews brought out the need for multiple jobs especially among women due to insufficient income from waste taking a toll on their health and family life. The percentage of migrant waste pickers who earn Rs 100- 200/- a day is higher than other catergories. However their access to basic facilities and housing is still very poor with a majoritiy of the migrant wastepickers living in temporary accomodation, with no identification such as ration cards, voter ID cards and no access to toilets. They also do not get weekly time off from work , instead take leave to visit their homes once or twice a year.


Analysis of the living conditions of wastepickers shows that more than half the waste pickers live in rented houses and temporary shelters while around 15% are homeless. Majority of the wastepickers rely on public water taps and only a handful of wastepickers have health insurance and bank accounts with the majority relying on private medical care. Interestingly 44% waste pickers interviewed are keen on working with the municipal corporation while 35% want to continue working as waste pickers or move to a completely different profession. Securing a government waste collection job was prefered by most waste pickers in the focus group discussions and interviews since it signified security; fixed salary and less harassment. Most waste pickers are positive about starting a waste management business with the main deterrent being lack of capital and credit availablity. Smaller groups were preffered to avoid miscommunication and better sharing of profits. An immediate and concerted effort is required by civil society, the municipal corporation and the government to highlight the situation of waste pickers and bring about a serious change. Some broad recommendations are:

1. Enumerate and register waste pickers in the city and issue photo identity cards endorsed by Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)

2. Provide all registered waste pickers access to social services and benefits under government schemes irrespective of BPL status

3. Formulate and enforce local policies that allow BBMP to enhance decentralised solid waste management systems through integration of the informal waste sector. Wastepickers must have access to recyclanle waste materials from bulk generators of waste such as partments, offices, tech parks, Kalyana mantaps, stadiums etc. BBMP land use plan/ development plan/master plan must make provision for amenity spaces in every neighbourhood for undertaking secondary sorting and composting/biogas by the informal sector.

4. Micro-waste collection and processing enterprises of waste pickers should be given capital and infrastructure facility.

5. Assist the informal sector to have access to employment and alternative livelihood opportunities by providing knowledge and skills development and protection from occupational hazards and risks.

6. Enforce legal provisions of child labour and ensure children of waste pickers are enrolled in formal schools.


Annexure 1

Questionnaire for socio economic study on waste pickers Bangalore 2010 CHF International-Mythri Sarva Seva Samithi

Survey location Name of locality/slum: _____________________ Ward No: _________________ Name of surveyor & field coordinator: Date of survey:

Part I. General information of wastepicker (Applicable to all wastepickers) 1. Name: 2. Current address in Bangalore:

______________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Gender: Male ____ Female_____ Other_____ 4. Age/Date of Birth:_____________ 5. How many years have you been living in Bangalore? _______ 6. Where is your native place? _____________________________ 7. How frequently do you go to your native place? _________________________________ 8. How long do you stay there? (If s/he stays there for more than a month, what does s/he do there?)

__________________________________________________________________ CATEGORIES 9. Which category does the wastepicker belong to? (Please tick in the box provided below)

Migrant waste pickers (living in the city for less than 10 years)

Local waste pickers (Living in the city for more

than 10 years)

Landfills / Large dumpsites wastepickers working only

Waste management contract workers from the municipality

Free roaming migrants

WP working on their own and linked to an entrepreneur

WP employed by a micro-entrepreneur

Free roaming wastepickers

WP employed by a micro-entrepreneur

Pourakarmikas

Other workers (Autorickshaw workers / Truck

10. What is your mother tongue? ____________________

11. Religion: _____________________

12. Caste: OBC:____ SC:___ ST:___ General:____ Others:____________

13. _______________________________ (Are you benefiting from any government scheme, Caste certificates? etc...)

14. Level of Education

Class / Standard Reasons for leaving

15. Does the waste picker have any handicap?: Yes________ No_________

Give details, if yes___________


Part II. Family Background(Applicable to all wastepickers)

16. Are you: single ____ married ____ widowed___ living alone_____ 17. If a migrant, are you supporting your family? Yes___ No___

18. Give details of your family living with you in Bangalore: Sl. No

Relationship to family member

Name Age Level of education

Are they involved in wastepicking? “Yes” or “No”

If not, what do they do?

Monthly Income

1. 2. 3.

Part III. Housing/Household information (Applicable to all wastepickers) 19. The house you live in Bangalore: (Please tick the appropriate box below)

Owned Rented Leased Urban Homeless Other

20. Your house has: a. Water facility (Please tick in the appropriate box)

Own connection

Public tap

Hand pump Well Tanker Other

b. Toilet facility (Please tick in the appropriate box) Household

Public Sharing Open space

c. Bathroom facility (Please tick in the appropriate box)

Household

Public Sharing Open space

d. Electricity (Please tick in the appropriate box) Meter No meter, but electricity available No electricity at all

21. What is the distance from your house to :

Sl. No

Location Is it near to your house?(please tick)

Distance or time taken (in Km) Yes No

1. School 2. Health centre (E.g. private clinic;

government hospital; private hospital; PHC)

22. Where do you dispose waste?(household waste) (please tick)

Door step collection: ____Nearby dumpsite: _____ Drain: ____ On the street: _____ nearby garbage bin: ___


Part IV: Questions Related To Work FORM- A: MIGRANT FREE ROAMING WASTEPICKERS 1. What did you do before you became a wastepicker? (Ask if s/he is not a traditional wastepicker)

___________________________________________________________________ 2. What are your reasons for wastepicking? (Ask only if s/he is not a traditional wastepicker)

___________________________________________________________________ 3. How many years have you been working as a wastepicker? (please tick)

1-3 years 3-5 years 5-8 years 8-10 years More than 10 years

4. How many hours do you work in a day? (please tick)

2-4 hours 4-6 hours 6-8 hours 8-10 hours More than 10 hours

5. Source of waste (Please tick) DTDC Shops Offices Road side dumps Industrial area Landfills

6. Type of waste material that you collect (please tick)

Types of waste material Quantity / day (in Kg)

Income from sale of recyclables

Plastic Paper Products

Metal Electronic material

Bottles Others I st

grade plastic

Kadak Super

7. Do you have other sources of income? Yes:_____ No:_____ (please tick)

What is the source?(kind of work) Hours spent in a day Income

8. How much do you spend on a weekly basis on food, recreation and other activities?

Sl. No Particulars Amount / week (Rs.)

1. Food

2. Transport

3. Material related to work

4. Recreation

5. Others

9. What is the family’s monthly expenditure on:

Sl. No Particulars Amount / month (Rs.) 1. Health 2. Children’s education

10. What time of the day do you go to collect waste? (please tick)

11. What mode of transport do you use to collect waste? (please tick)

Carry it yourself Bicycle Rickshaw Pushcart Other

12. What is the distance you cover in a day? (please tick)

Morning Afternoon Evening


Less than 2 km 2-4 km 4-6 km 6-8 km More than 8 km

13. Which areas do you collect waste in? ____________________________________________

14. Do you face any problems at work? (please tick) Harassment (If yes, by whom?)

Delay / Irregular payment by scrap dealers

Lack of transportation

Not getting enough material to sell

Others

15. What kind of work do you want to do in the future? (please tick) To continue working as a wastepicker Move to another profession

16. Would you be interested in working under the municipal corporation?(as Pourakarmikas)

Yes No If no, why?


FORM- B: MIGRANT WASTEPICKERS LINKED TO MICRO ENTREPRENEUR 1. What did you do before you became a wastepicker? (Ask if s/he is not a traditional wastepicker) ___________________________________________________________ 2. What are your reasons for waste picking? ____________________________________________________________ 3. How many years have you been working as a wastepicker? (please tick)




5. Source of waste (Please tick)

Source of waste DTDC Shops Offices Road side dumps Industrial area Landfills

6. Type of waste material that you collect? (please tick)


Income from sale of recyclables

Plastic

Paper Products


Bottles Others

I st grade plastic

Kadak Super

7. What is your income based on? (please tick)

Fixed daily wages Quantity / type of waste material collected

Number of hours worked

8. Do you have other sources of income? Yes:_____ No:_____

What is the source?(kind of work) Hours spent in a day Income


Sl. No Particulars Amount / week (Rs.) 1. Food 2. Transport 3. Material related to work 4. Recreation 5. Others


Sl. No Particulars Amount / month (Rs.)

1. Health 2. Children’s education

11. What are the types of services / facilities you are getting from the entrepreneur? (please tick)

Housing Vehicles Money advance Loan Safety equipments Other


12. What mode of transport do you use to collect waste? (please tick) Carry it yourself Bicycle Rickshaw Pushcart Other



14. Which are the areas you collect waste from? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15. Do you face any problems at work? (please tick)

Harassment (If yes, by whom?)




Others

16. What kind of work do you want to do in the future? (please tick)

To continue working as a waste picker Move to another profession

17. Would you be interested in working under the municipal corporation? (as a pourakarmika)

Yes No If no, why?


FORM-C: MIGRANT WASTEPICKERS EMPLOYED BY A MICRO ENTREPRENEUR 1. What did you do before you became a waste picker? (Ask if s/he is not a traditional waste picker) ___________________________________________________________ 2. What are your reasons for waste picking? (Ask if s/he is not a traditional waste picker) __________________________________________________________ 3. How many years have you been working as a waste picker? (please tick)




5. Type of waste material you are segregating: (Please tick)

Types of waste material Plastic

Paper Products


Bottles Others

I st grade

plastic)

Kadak

Super

6. What is your income based on? (please tick)

Particulars (please tick in the appropriate box)

Income earned (Rs.)

Fixed daily wages Quantity / type of waste material segregated

Number of hours worked 7. Do you have other sources of income? Yes:_____ No:_____ (please tick)

What is the source?(kind of work) Hours spent in a day Income per month



1. Food

2. Transport


4. Recreation

5. Others



10. What are the types of services / facilities you are getting from the entrepreneur? (please tick)

Housing Vehicles Money advance

Loan Safety equipments Other






Others

12. What kind of work do you want to do in the future? (please tick) To continue working as a waste picker Move to another profession (please

specify which)

13. Do you bring your children to work place? Yes:_____ No:_____ 14. Who takes care of your children? ________

=================================================================

OBSERVATION OF WORKING CONDITIONS a. Are they using any safety equipments?(gloves; boots etc) Yes:_____ No:____

b. Are they bringing their children to work? _________________________________________________ c. Other Observations: __________________________________________________________________


FORM-D: LOCAL FREE ROAMING WASTEPICKERS 1. Is waste picking a: (please tick)

Traditional (doing the same job from generations) Acquired (learnt)

2. If it is an ‘acquired’/ ‘learnt’ profession, what did you do before you became a waste picker? ____________________________________________________________________ 3. What are your reasons for waste picking?

____________________________________________________________________

4. How many years have you been working as a waste picker? 1-3 years 3-5 years 5-8 years 8-10 years More than 10 years

5. How many hours do you work in a day? 2-4 hours 4-6 hours 6-8 hours 8-10 hours More than 10 hours

6. Source of waste

Source of waste

DTDC Shops Offices Road side dumps Industrial area Landfills

7. Type of waste material you collect : (please tick)


Income from sale of recyclables per day

Plastic

Paper Products


Bottles Others

I st grade plastic

Kadak Super


What is the source?(kind of work) Hours spent in a day Income per month



1. Food

2. Transport


4. Recreation

5. Others



1. Health 2. Children’s education

11. What time of the day do you go to collect waste? (please tick)


12. What mode of

transport do you use to collect waste? (please tick) Carry it yourself Bicycle Rickshaw Pushcart Other



14. Which are the areas you collect waste from? _____________________________________________________________________

15. Do you face any problems at work? (please tick)





Others

16. What kind of work do you want to do in the future? (please tick)

To continue working as a waste picker Move to another profession (please specify which)

17. Would you be interested in working under the municipal corporation? (as a Pourakarmikas) Yes No If no, why?

Morning Afternoon Evening


FORM- E: LOCAL WASTEPICKERS EMPLOYED BY ENTREPRENEURS

1. What did you do before you became a waste picker? (Ask if s/he is not a traditional waste picker) __________________________________________________

2. What are your reasons for waste picking? (Ask if s/he is not a traditional waste picker)

____________________________________________________________________\

3. How many years have you been working as a waste picker? 1-3 years 3-5 years 5-8 years 8-10 years More than 10 years

4. How many hours do you work in a day?


5. Type of waste material you segregating:

Types of waste material Plastic

Paper Products


Bottles Others

I st grade plastic

Kadak Super

6. What is your income based on?

Particulars (please tick in the appropriate box)

Income earned per day(Rs.)

Fixed daily wages

Quantity / type of waste material segregated

Number of hours worked


If yes, what is the source?(kind of work) Hours spent in a day Income per month


Sl. No Particulars Amount / week (Rs.) 1. Food 2. Transport 3. Material related to work 4. Recreation 5. Others



10. What are the types of services / facilities you are getting from the entrepreneur?


Housing Vehicles Money advance

Loan Safety equipments Other


Delay / Irregular payment by employer


Others

12. What kind of work do you want to do in the future? (please tick) To continue working as a waste picker Move to another profession (please

specify which)

13. Do you bring your children to work place? Yes:_____ No:_____ 14. Who takes care of your children? ________

================================================================= OBSERVATION OF WORKING CONDITIONS

a. Are they using any safety equipments?(gloves; boots etc) Yes:_____ No:____

b. Are they bringing their children to work? _______________________________

c. Other Observations: ___________________________________________________


FORM-F: LANDFILL WORKERS 1. What did you do before you became a wastepicker? 2. What are your reasons for wastepicking? 3. How many years have you been working as a wastepicker? (Please tick) 1-3 years 3-5 years 5-8 years 8-10 years More than 10

years 4. Do you come here every day? (Please tick) Yes No 5. How many hours do you work in a day? (Please tick) 2-4 hours 4-6 hours 6-8 hours 8-10 hours More than 10 hours

6. Are you collecting waste only from this landfill or other places / landfills too? Yes: ____ No:____ If yes, please specify which other area/landfill________________________ 7. How many trucks come here in a day to dump waste? ___________________________ 8. Are you: Free roaming � Employed by a contractor � Others� 9. Type of waste material you collect? (Please tick)

Types of waste material Quantity / kg/ day



Tetra pack

Bottles

I grade plastic

Kadak Super

10. Do you get paid: (Please tick)

Daily Amount per day

Weekly Amount per week

Monthly Amount per month

11. What time of the day do you go to collect waste?(Please tick) Morning Afternoon Evening

12. What is the distance you travel to work? (Please tick) Less than 2 km 2-4 km 4-6 km 6-8 km More than 8 km

13. Do your children accompany you to work? (Please tick) Yes No 14. Do you face any problems at work? (please tick)




Lack of transportation / Long commute to work


Others

15. What kind of work do you want to do in the future? (please tick) To continue working as a waste picker Move to another profession (please specify

which other profession) 16. Are you interested or would you be willing to work under the municipal corporation / as a pourakarmika? Yes:______ No:______ If no, why?________________________________________

OBSERVATION OF WORKING CONDITIONS 16. How many people work at the landfill? _______________________________________________ 17. Are they using any safety equipment? 18. Other observations: ___________________________________________


FORM-G : MUNICIPAL WASTE COLLECTORS 1. How many years have you been working as a pourakarmika?


2. How many hours do you work in a day?


3. Type of work:

DTDC Sweeper Helpers (in truck) Auto Drivers

4. How many more pourakarmikas are working in this ward? ____________________ 5. Income:

Particulars Income / month (Rs.) Salary Income from service fees through

6. Type of waste material you collect? (Please tick)

Types of waste material Quantity / kg/ day

Income/ kg /day



Tetra pack

Bottles

I grade plastic

Kadak Super

7. Do you have other sources of income? Yes:_____ No:_____ (please tick) What is the source?(kind of work) Hours spent in a day Income per month



1. Food

2. Transport

3. Repairs / Material related to work

5. Recreation

6. Others



1. Health 2. Children’s education 3. Rent 4. Electricity 5. Others



11. Which areas do you work in?


___________________________________________________________________

12. Do you face any of these problems at work? (please tick) Harassment (If yes, by whom?)

Delay / Irregular payment

Frequent breakdown of vehicles(pushcart)

Time pressure / stress

13. What kind of work do you want to do in the future? (Please tick)

To continue working as a waste picker Move to another profession (please specify which other profession)

14. Do you use any safety tools? If yes, please elaborate

____________________________________________________________________


Part V: Additional Information (Applicable to all wastepickers) 1.What do you do when you need money urgently? (please tick)

Relatives / Friends Employer Money lender Others

1. What are the health problems you face as a result of the work you are doing? (please tick)

Communicable diseases

Respiratory Wounds/infections/cuts

Skin diseases Muscular pain

Other: _____________________________________________________________ 2. Who takes care of you when you are sick :________________ 3. Do you have health/life/ insurance?

If yes, which one? :__________________________________________________ If no, would you opt for it, if it is made available? __________________________

4. Where do you go to get treatment?

Private clinics / hospitals

Government hospitals

Nearby PHCs Self medication Others

5. Do you have a ration card?

Types of card Yes / No Which colour is it? Green Yellow/Red Pink White

Ration card 6. Do you have any of these?

Particulars Yes / No Voter ID Bank account

7. Are you part of any Organization/ SHGs/Association? Yes: ____ No: ____

If yes, which one and how has being part of this association helped you? Give an example.________________________________________

8. Who takes care of you when you are in any kind of trouble?(Caught by police etc...):______________-_____________________

10. List out three immediate requirements related to your work?

1.………………………………………………………………….


Annexure 2 Maps- Location

Local Wastepickers 1. Free Roaming


2. Employed by an entrepreneur


Migrant Wastepickers 1. Free Roaming


2. Employed by an entrepreneur


3. Linked to a entrepreneur


Landfill Wastepickers


Annexure 3 Legal Provisions and Recommendations for Integration of Wastepickers into the

Mainstream Economy (Source: Alliance of Indian Wastepickers)

1. National Environment Policy 2006

“Give legal recognition to, and strengthen the informal sector systems of collection and recycling of various materials. In particular enhance their access to institutional finance and relevant technologies.” Section 5.2.8 point (e) Pg 36.

2. National Action Plan on Climate Change

“While the informal sector is the backbone of India’s highly successful recycling system, unfortunately a number of municipal regulations impede the operation of the recyclers, owing to which they remain at a tiny scale without access to finance or improved recycling technologies.”

3. The CAG Audit on Municipal Solid Waste in India (December 2008)

“..States should consider providing legal recognition to rag pickers so that recycling work becomes more organized and also ensure better working conditions for them.” Chapter 3, Section 3.5

4. Bajaj Committee Report 1995

“Presently the informal sector of rag pickers is contributing substantially to the recovery of recyclable material from urban solid waste. However, rag pickers - mostly women and children - live under and work in extremely unhygienic conditions. It is essential to improve the present system of collecting and utilising the recyclable material. These rag-pickers could be organised by setting up cooperatives. These workers can then collect recyclable material right at the household level; incidentally, they could also collect at the same time organic waste material from the household and deposit at the roadside collection sites. This would get rag pickers the recognition that they are an essential link in urban solid waste collection and recycling system. This will also prevent health hazards associated with rag picking in garbage dumps and provide them better working conditions and possibly better economic returns.”

5. Report on Solid Waste Management in Class I Cities of India of the Expert Committee on Solid Waste

Management constituted by the Hon. Supreme Court of India Organize waste pickers to collect recyclables from households, shops and establishments. • Explicitly acknowledged that informal sector waste pickers helped to reduce the burden of Urban

Local Bodies (ULBs) by saving them several million rupees annually in collection, transport, and disposal costs, and reducing pressure on scarce landfill space.

• Noted that, at a minimum, ten per cent of waste produced in India could be reused or recycled. • Urged that the recycling industry be promoted through incentives such as land allotment, supply of

power, water on priority, tax holidays, and preferential purchase of recycled products by government and semi-governmental bodies.

Civil Writ Petition No. 888 of 1996 Almitra Patel and Another vs. Union of India. Mr A. Burman was the Chairman of the 8 member committee.

6. Recommendations of Second National Labour Commission about Rag Pickers

It must be mandatory for all municipalities to register wastepickers and other scrap collectors, and to issue a photo-identity card to each such worker as has been done by the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporations. The card authorizes the bearer to collect scrap. • In view of their contribution to the removal and reduction of solid waste, it should be mandatory for

the municipalities to provide medical and life insurance coverage to all authorized wastepickers through the levy of a welfare cess from citizens.


• It should be mandatory for the municipalities to protect the livelihood of wastepickers and to consult with organizations of waste-pickers before initiating any scheme for the collection and disposal of urban solid waste.

• It should be mandatory for all municipalities to earmark green zones in each ward where waste-pickers can sit and sort their scrap.

• It should be mandatory for the municipalities to provide a rest room, drinking water, toilet and creche facilities at garbage dumping grounds/landfill sites.

• All registered scrap collectors should be listed as falling Below the Urban Poverty Line by the municipalities for the purposes of State social security schemes for the weaker sections.

Report of the II National Labour Commission, Ministry of Labour, Government of India, 2002, Pg 639- 643.

7. Child Labour (Prohibition&Regulation Act) 1986

Prohibit’s the engagement of children below 14 years and 15 years in certain specified employments.

8. Municipal Solid Waste (Management & Handing) Rules 2000 Segregation of municipal solid wastes: “In order to encourage the citizens, municipal authority shall organise awareness programmes for segregation of wastes and shall promote recycling or reuse of segregated materials”. Schedule II, rules 6(1) and (3), 7(1)

9. The Unorganised Workers’ Social Security Act 2008 “Every Unorganised worker shall be registered and issued identity card by the District administration which shall be a smart card carrying a unique identification number and shall be portable.” Section I, part II, chapter V registration, page 8

10. Inclusion of wastepickers in Plastic Waste (Management & Handling) Rules 2011

One of the major provisions under the new Rules is the explicit recognition of the rule of waste pickers. The new Rules require the municipal authority to constructively engage agencies or groups working in waste management including waste pickers. This is the very first time that such a special dispensation has been made.

11. Committee appointed by MOEF to examine the role of wastepickers in municipal solid waste management on the 21st of September ,2010 The terms of reference for the Committee will be to examine the role of wastepickers in the municipal solid waste management and suggest necessary amendments to the Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000

12. UD circular, March 2010:Inclusion of wastepickers

The circular highlights the role of wastepickers in environmental conservation and reducing the municipal solid waste management budgets. It further details the specific strategies ULBs could include to integrate wastepickers in door to door collection of waste.

13. The Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1979

This act is applicable to every establishment in which five or more inter-state migrant workmen are employed and to every contractor who employs five or more inter-state migrant workmen.

14. Government Circular, Government of Maharashtra, Water Supply and Sanitation Department, January, 2002 The circular permits Ragpickers to collect the waste from homes, shops and market places. It instructs civic authorities to issue identification cards to the registered Rag pickers, give preference to the cooperatives formed by the wastepickers to collect dry waste and engage the registered Ragpicker on a daily wage or a monthly wage basis for collecting waste from homes, shops and market places etc.. No: Ghakavya 1001/ Pra. Kra 546/ Papu-22

Team

Sriranjini Vadiraj - Independent Reasearcher

Linto George, K. Latha, S. Prabhakar, G. Kamath and Chaya Chengappa - CHF International-India

A. Selvanathan and Anselm Rosario - Mythri Sarva Seva Samithi, Bangalore

Bosco Antony - Grace, Bangalore

Krishna, Chandru, Shiva, Ambarish, Parvathi, Manjunath, Nagaraj, Rajeshwari - Volunteers

Disclaimer - CHF International and Mythri Sarva Seva Samithi do not guarantee or assume any legal liability for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information represented in this document. Copyright of survey is reserved by CHF International and Mythri Sarva Seva Samithi. However, reproduction or redistribution of this material for non-commercial use is encouraged with source appropriately acknowledged.

CHF International is an international development and humanitarian assistance organization which aims to be a catalyst for long-lasting positive change in low- and moderate-income communities around the world, helping them to improve their social, economic and environmental conditions. Visit www.chfinternational.org for more information. Mythri Sarva Sava Samithi is a non-profit organization with more than 20 years of experience working on behalf of informal waste pickers and their families, and promoting environmental sustainability through integral solid waste management. Visit www.wwt.co.in for more information.

http://www.chfinternational.org/

http://www.wwt.co.in/

Documents

Sample Study of Informal Waste Pickers in Bangalore September