Safai Mitra: Ensuring Livelihoods of Waste Collectors in Patna

Presented by:Azad Oommen

Director, CommunicationsAmerican India Foundation

Feb 9, 2008ASEI SoCal Annual Conference

National Overview

• Approx 1.5 million – 2 million rag pickers in India– Numbers are hard to estimate

• Average earnings of between $1 and $2 a day

• Typically, they have no contractual employment and are part of the “informal sector,” i.e. no guaranteed wages, social security benefits etc.

Patna Overview

• Patna has an overall population of 1.7 million people

• In surveys conducted by Nidan in a sampling of Patna slums (2006):– Approximately 70 percent of respondents work in the informal

sector– Median income of Rs 1000- 2000 per family per month– 75 percent do not have any waste collection facility

Solid Waste Management in India

• Traditionally, in Indian towns disposal of Solid Waste is done through a centralized facility.

• As the town grows, the distance covered for transportation of waste increases rendering the cost of collection prohibitive.

• To reduce the transportation cost, a decentralized system is the preferred option. In such a system, the waste is collected from households, segregated (preferably at the source or at least at the time of collection) and transferred to a neighborhood treatment facility.

Nidan’s Swacchdhara Model

• Swacchdhara is a collective business enterprise formed by waste collectors

• Previously, they worked as individual rag pickers with no livelihood security

• Comprehensive solid waste management model– Door-to-door collection of waste from households and shops

– Contract with municipal corporation for street garbage collection

– Vermi-composting of organic waste

– Recycling

• Funded by a $89,000 AIF Grant in 2005

Profile of Safai Mitras

• Safai Mitras receive training in waste management

• Receive uniforms and identity cards

• Receive regular pay through their employment by Swacchdhara, which has a predictable revenue stream from its contracts

• Receive various other social security benefits such as micro-insurance, micro-credit

Door-to-door waste collection

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Dry waste/Recyclables

Wet waste/Organic

Ward level Vermi-composting

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Scrap dealers

Land-fill Rejects

Waste collection from households

Street cleaning

Decentralized waste collection

Recycling

Safai mitras employed

2006 2007

Door-to-door collectors

45 130

Street Cleaners 280 245

Vermi-compost 6 8

Recycling 2 4

Total 333 387

Units covered

  2006 2007

Units (House/Shop) 22,380 48,000

Hotels 2 4

Institutions 18 22

Wards (for street cleaning) 3 3

Livelihood impact

• ~400 waste pickers have been directly employed as safai mitras in providing waste management services

• Safai mitras were made salaried employees and received various financial services.

• Provided social security coverage (pension, insurance etc.)

• Monthly income rose from Rs 1500 to Rs 2800 per month

• ~600 other waste pickers have been organized into self-help groups

Other impacts

• Work hours regularized

• Improved working conditions as they deal with waste at source

• Decrease in the incidences of diseases like diarrhoea, fever, skin infections, jaundice etc.

• Rise in social status– Less harassment as they are easily identifiable by their uniforms

Future of the model

• Expanding from 3 wards in Patna to 11 wards in Patna

• Further expansion to Muzaffarpur, Gaya, Samastipur, Vaishali, Katihar

• Proposed coverage of 60,000 additional households for door-to-door waste collection

• Additional 1,000 Safai Mitras to be employed

Takeaways

• Efficient waste management models are possible

• Waste management models can generate revenue

• Waste management models can provide sustainable livelihoods for workers