Residents satisfied with new waste management arrangements

LWMC scheme has positive impact, but residents wary of future charges.

LAHORE: Two months ago, the most common form of waste disposal at Mohni Road, a neighbourhood near Data Darbar, was to throw it out on the street. Then the area was selected to be part of a Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) initiative whereby trash collection was outsourced to private companies.

Under the plan, the private company, in this case Waste Busters, started handing out free garbage bags and daily pick-up services via specially designed yellow rickshaws that went door-to-door. The residents of Mohni Road say the area is now cleaner.

“There are a few people who still throw their trash out into the open, but generally speaking it has made our neighbourhood cleaner,” said housewife Sumbal Ali Arshad.

“The key is awareness. As long as people know that the service is free and the timings of the daily pick-up, they will use it.”

Asma Mumtaz, another resident, estimated that littering on the street had dropped by half.

“There used to be garbage all along the road but now there are also workers who monitor the street. People understand that the there is a set system for trash collection now,” she said.

Teacher Ramiz Butt said the most important thing about the programme was the trash bags. Each household gets bags according to its size.

Though the residents are pleased with the new service, some voiced concern about getting extra fees on their bills in the future. Butt was wary of charges being added for the bags, which he said people would be unwilling to pay.

“We are charged in the water bill for Solid Waste Management services so it would be wrong if a charge was added,” said Shakil Ahmed, another resident. “There is definitely acknowledgement of the service, but the company must not increase the rate.”

LWMC official Rafique Jatoi said the waste management tax that was part of the water bill had been in place for years and it was unlikely to be raised.

“This service is being provided at no extra charge,” he said. “The private contractors are being paid for the work by the LWMC.”

He said the private companies leased out the garbage collection rickshaws from the LWMC on a two year programme and were paying monthly instalments. The companies were also paying for using SWM workers, he said.

A Solid Waste Management official said that it was too early to call the initiative a success, but it appeared to have had a positive impact. He pointed out that it had only been tried out in a limited area. He said SWM workers had legitimate concerns about the private companies and how they might affect their jobs.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 20^th, 2011.