COLLECTION,TRANSPORTATION AND DISPOSAL OF URBAN SOLID WASTE 55
capacity will therefore be sooner exhausted. As the method of open dumping is
adopted (rather than the sanitary land fill), the environmental problems associated
with this type of disposal will probably worsen.
3.7. ASSESSING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE VGDS
House-to-house SWC is practiced in almost 20 percent of the MCH territory. It has
eliminated one step in the basic system,viz. the requirement for households to bring
their garbage to secondary storage points, and replaced it by doorstep collection. Just
like the partial privatisation of the basic service it concerns a major innovation in
SWM in the city and therefore its strengths and weaknesses will also be elaborated.
Contributions to socio-economic aspects of sustainable development
Economic efficiency and viability
The scheme is basically self-supporting as its running costs are entirely covered by the
households that contribute a monthly fee. Our survey showed that fees range from Rs
5 to Rs 20 per household per month depending on the area (and hence, affordability)
and the volume of waste per house. The start-up costs, a tricycle and waste bins for the
households, have been financed either by the MCH or the (British) Overseas Devel-
opment Administration (in slum areas). Replacement of equipment, however, needs to
be financed by the communities themselves. Allocative efficiency, therefore, is good,
accepting of course that the MCH is still responsible for secondary collection and
disposal.
The MCH estimated the economies brought about by the VGDS to be approximately
Rs 8 million per year after deduction of the subsidies paid to households. The savings
were attributed to the use of fewer trucks and municipal workers Furthermore, it was
estimated that the savings resulting from the ODA supported scheme could run up to
Rs 13 million per year (Snel, 1997).
Free riding does not appear to be a major problem since most communities succeed in
keeping this phenomenon within socially acceptable limits. The welfare organisations
were able to recover the fee from most households although some indicated that they
also used other revenues to meet a part of the salary of the waste pickers Since it forms
a small proportion of the expenditure of the association, they did not really feel the
pinch of it. The 60 respondents from our survey in VGDS serviced communities were
quite outspoken with respect to deviant behaviour: the vast majority wanted these