COLLECTION,TRANSPORTATION AND DISPOSAL OF URBAN SOLID WASTE 59
it would be under free market conditions. Obviously, this should not be read as an
implicit justification of poor remuneration of private sector workers At the same time,
however, it needs to be said that the MCH is apparently not at liberty to balance the
interests of its workers against those of the general taxpayer.
3.9. CONCLUSION
The MCH has succeeded in bringing about substantial improvement in its SWC
system by involving the private sector in service delivery. Private contractors perform
comparatively well and at lower costs, compared to the local body. The general public
is satisfied with the new policy as it results in cleaner neighbourhoods. The overall
environmental impact is positive although this does not derive from privatisation as
such but rather from higher levels of spending on SWC. Nevertheless, the system also
suffers from a number of weaknesses. The remuneration levels and job security of
private sector labourers compare very unfavourably with those of their MCH
colleagues. Furthermore, privatised servicing is largely confined to middle and
high-income areas, which allow to be operated under the rigid unit system approach.
Another shortcoming is that the system does not reap the full benefits of privatisation
- dynamism, flexibility, and innovativeness – due to the detailed contract specifica-
tions the MCH was politically forced to adopt. Finally, the MCH has not yet grasped
the opportunity to design a truly integrated SWM policy. Being preoccupied with the
protection of public health, its focus is almost exclusively on controlled collection,
transportation and disposal of waste. No concerted efforts are made to reduce waste
production, while initiatives to promote recycling and reuse of (in)organic wastes
hardly move beyond the support of an occasional experiment.
Another promising step, again in the collection domain, is the introduction of the
VGDS in approximately one-fifth of the city. In the areas utilising this system the
quality of the service has improved considerably. At the same time it has brought new
employment opportunities to a group of people with limited chances on the regular
labour market, and it has stimulated recycling and reuse, especially of inorganic
matter. Although the success of the VGDS partially depends on the strength and dedi-
cation of local welfare organisations, there certainly seems to be room to extend the
spatial coverage of this system. Apparently people are willing to contribute financially
to an upgrading of the service, albeit that participation in the scheme cannot be taken
for granted (in the slum areas affordability does constitute a problem). This knowledge
could be utilised to the advantage of the municipal budget.
Among the bulk waste generators, privatisation of SWC is still in its infancy. Neverthe-
less, the institutions concerned are likely to benefit from private collection, especially in
terms of punctuality. The MCH does have to arrange for proper monitoring of these bulk
generators to avoid illegal dumping practices. Special attention should be given to
hospital waste, which is often not treated carefully enough and ends up being mixed with