56 S. GALAB, S. SUDHAKAR REDDY AND JOHAN POST
people to be punished or fined. Affordability, at least in our survey, was not perceived
to be a problem^13.
Employment and income
The scheme has generated gainful employment as well as job security to several
hundred unemployed youngsters and informal pickers Their wages range from Rs
1,000 to Rs 2,000 per month, but they can earn additional income by selling the recy-
clables after segregating the waste collected from the households. Those waste pickers
engaged in the service in slum areas and low-income colonies, however, are a little
worse off because waste generation rates per household are less – requiring them to
cover more households – and the volume of recyclable material is smaller than in more
affluent residential areas.
Monitoring
Strict supervision by the residential welfare organisations as well as by the residents,
who require value for money, ensures proper servicing. The MCH is also very satis-
fied with the scheme. It has incited the municipal inspectors to regularly interact with
the welfare organisations and the residents, both through formal meetings and
informal contacts, contributing to effective coordination. The scheme has also
increased awareness among the people to ensure a clean environment.
System viability
The long-term viability of the VGDS is expected to be good. At neighbourhood level
the running costs are fully recovered. It is not entirely sure if the community will
succeed in raising/saving enough financial means to replace worn out equipment.
However, the success of the scheme in combination with the enthusiasm among the
welfare organisations will probably guarantee its continuity. Anyway, the welfare
organisations did not feel this would become a bottleneck. Obviously, the success is
also dependent on the ability of the MCH to ensure the necessary means to run the
secondary collection and disposal trajectory (see above).
Contributions to public health and environmental aspects of sustainable development
Cleanliness
Satisfaction among residents participating in the scheme is high. The vast majority
feels the cleanliness of the neighbourhood has increased. The frequency of collection
was high: 87 percent of the respondents indicated that the waste pickers passed by
their house every day, while the remaining 13 percent said collection frequency was
- In some of the slum areas NGOs (such as SUKUKI) have organised door-to-door collection on the
same basis. In these areas affordability does seem to be a problem, as many slum dwellers do not reg-
ularly pay the required fee.