COLLECTION,TRANSPORTATION AND DISPOSAL OF URBAN SOLID WASTE 57
4-5 times per week. People were very pleased to have their waste collected at the
doorstep and no longer having to bring it to communal bins at some distance of their
houses. They also appreciated the absence of waste bins – and the related littering –
inside their areas.
Environmental impacts
The environmental impact of the VGDS is largely positive. Although there are no
effects on the minimisation of waste or on final disposal practices the scheme does
contribute to recycling and reuse. Waste is supposed to be separated at household level
in organic and inorganic materials. In actual fact, this does not seem to be an estab-
lished practice yet. The waste pickers try to sell valuable items on the waste market.
The organic component of the waste can be recycled in order to be converted into
manure through vermicomposting. However, composting at neighbourhood level,
despite support by several NGOs, has not yet proved to be a viable option in most
cases (see chapter 10). The anticipated benefits of the scheme in this respect have not
been achieved.
Another positive environmental impact is that the volume of waste that has to be trans-
ported to the dumpsites is somewhat reduced, and hence the capacity of the dumps will
last a little longer. Furthermore, collection up to the vantage points on the edge of the
neighbourhoods is done manually. The system saves on the use of trucks.
3.8. SYSTEM-WIDE CONCERNS
The investigations of the SWC performance in Hyderabad also pointed to a number of
citywide concerns that frustrate or impair proper servicing. A major bottleneck arises
from the poor quality of physical infrastructure in large parts of the city, notably in the
low-income and slum areas. The basic collection system, for example, requires good
accessibility of residential areas by trucks. When it is difficult for vehicles to enter the
area, residents, usually housewives or maid servants, are forced to take their garbage
to vantage points located relatively far away from their houses. This results in indis-
criminate dumping practices. The problem can partly be overcome by introducing a
VGDS in the area. However, this requires the presence of a community welfare organ-
isation capable of organising this service, and, if such an institution does not yet exist,
community mobilisation. It is a well-known fact that CBOs actively engaged in
community sanitation are more often found in middle class areas (Schenk et al., 1998).
The unit system currently applied by the MCH in delivery of the basic service is rather
rigid. It implicitly sets minimum requirements to the area’s physical layout, especially
in terms of road width and places to install waste bins or garbage houses. There seem
to be good reasons to adjust the input requirements in terms of labour and equipment
to the type of layout. A more flexible approach would probably help to meet the needs
of residents living in the poorer parts of the metropolis.