Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 16 August 2023
The Port Blair Municipal Council has implemented a door-to-door collection system for segregated waste in all its wards. However, this waste collection method has proven to be a significant failure since its inception, with malodorous garbage lining street corners in most wards every morning.
The primary reason for the failure of the door-to-door waste collection lies in its misleading name; the collection process is far from being truly “door to door.”
Sanitation workers, employed by the Municipal Council, enter colonies and streets on a daily basis, urging residents to bring out their segregated waste. These workers, often struggling with poor working conditions, then place the collected waste into carts for disposal. The root cause of the system’s 99% failure is attributed to the early morning collection requirement, where residents are expected to wake up and personally deliver their waste to the garbage collectors.
Critics argue that the Municipal Council cannot reasonably anticipate citizens to rise early solely to hand over their garbage to collectors. Instead, they suggest a genuinely door-to-door approach, wherein waste is either collected directly from doorsteps or left by residents outside their homes before the night, to be picked up by collectors in the morning.
The insistence on early morning participation disregards the diverse lifestyles of the citizens. Many individuals work night shifts or adhere to alternative sleep schedules, and imposing a mandatory early morning waste delivery system infringes upon their personal choices.
The current system’s misalignment with residents’ comfort levels has resulted in streets becoming increasingly unsanitary. To avoid the hassle of early morning disposal, many individuals resort to late-night waste disposal, contributing to the accumulation of garbage on the streets.
An alternative proposal involves the introduction of twin dustbins for separating wet and dry waste. Strategically placing large, foot-operated dustbins at street corners could encourage residents to dispose of their waste correctly each night, offering a more practical and accessible alternative to the problematic door-to-door approach.
Advocates of this solution also suggest implementing fines for those who fail to segregate waste properly. Initial monitoring efforts could ensure compliance and improve waste management practices across the city.
The situation in Port Blair is reminiscent of Bengaluru’s experience. Despite a 17-year-long door-to-door collection system and a “no dustbin” policy, the city was compelled to reintroduce dustbins due to persistently filthy streets resulting from nighttime garbage disposal.