Report 1 (of 5): Sweeping Changes - Bangladesh

Introduction

In many urban areas of Bangladesh, especially in Dhaka, the capital, there are serious problems with the disposal of household rubbish. The local authority regards refuse collection as a low priority. The collections made by the large trucks of Dhaka City Corporation are restricted to the main roads because they are unable to manoeuvre in the narrower streets. The authorities have had difficulty coping with the quantity of rubbish produced, so the streets of Dhaka have gradually acquired piles of waste, sometimes left for months, before it is cleared away.

After working abroad for some years, Mahbob Ahsan Khurram returned to Dhaka in 1987. He was shocked to see how the area in which he used to live had filled up with uncollected garbage and that the air had an unpleasant stench to it generated by the rotting waste. In the years that he had been away, the population had increased and blocks of flats had been built to accommodate all the new residents who in turn were creating greater amounts of rubbish.

Mahbob decided to take action to clear up the rubbish in the streets and drew up a plan for a community based household rubbish collection. He set up a trial scheme, in his own district of Kalabagan, which would only receive payment if it was successful and sustainable.

Collection of the Waste

Waste is collected from the households in the district of Kalabagan every day. It is loaded onto rickshaws that have been specifically converted to carry out the task of waste collection. The waste is then sorted for recycling and taken away to one of the main collection points on the Green Road where the Dhaka City Corporation trucks are able to collect it.

The households in the district are made aware of the rickshaw’s presence by the distinctive sound of the sweeper blowing his horn. When the horn is sounded, people bring their rubbish to the rickshaw. For the people who are unable to make their way to the rickshaw, a small additional charge is made for the sweeper to come to the house to collect the bags of rubbish. Alternatively, apartment dwellers who are reluctant to make the trip down to the street to dispose of their rubbish but do not want to pay the extra fee for the sweeper to collect it from their door have come up with the simple solution of lowering their rubbish down on a string, from their balcony or window, to the rickshaw in the street.

The Working Teams on the Rickshaws

Mahbob has two rickshaw vehicles and he employs two municiple sweepers and three other people (usually relatives of the sweeper) per rickshaw. They are currently earning about 1200 Taka per month compared to their earnings of between 400 to 600 Taka working part time as a Dhaka City Corporation street sweeper.

In addition, to the working teams there is also a stand by sweeper and someone else is employed to collect the money. A rickshaw team can collect from between 100 to 120 houses in one trip and will usually do three or three and a half trips in one day.

Conversion of the Rickshaws

The rickshaws had to be converted in order to carry out the task of household rubbish collection effectively. Pieces of sixteen gauge steel sheet were welded together to make large boxes (6 feet x 3 feet x 3.5 feet) that would hold the rubbish.

An initial investment of about 18,000 Takas is required in order to purchase the specially constructed rickshaws. They need to be replaced regularly due to the harsh working conditions although painting them regularly will help to prolong their life.

The only other tools required to carry out the collection of household rubbish effectively are spades and shovels which are used to unload the rubbish.

Recycling the Waste

Extra income can be generated through recycling the waste once it has been collected. The waste is sorted out, separating the plastic, paper, metal and glass from the rest of the waste, such as the green waste from the kitchen and the materials are then sold onto recycling enterprises in the capital.

Cost of the Scheme

A daily collection of rubbish is now established covering 700 houses and 300 shops. The customers pay 15 Takas each month for the collection of their rubbish and only about 15% of the scheme’s users regularly default on their payments. In addition to the regular customers, collections are made from a number of households that do not pay the 15 Taka monthly charge, in the hope that they will join the scheme at a later date.

The scheme does not make a big profit but it is self supporting. The income from the rickshaws covers the wages of the workers and the equipment that needs to be purchased but most importantly, it improves the standard of living for the residents in the area.

Effects of the Household Waste Collection Scheme

Now that the area is clean, people are more reluctant to dump their rubbish in the streets and the residents actively discourage any careless dumping. Rain water is free to drain away because there are no piles of rubbish blocking its path and so the streets no longer smell.

Support for the scheme came from the Chief Engineer of Dhaka who has also encouraged similar schemes for the collection of rubbish in other parts of the city. Mahbob’s refuse collection enterprise has generated a lot of interest throughout Bangladesh and other parts of the world. In Dhaka, 29 other neighbourhoods have copied Mahbob’s scheme and another team is now operating in Kalabagan.

The Benefits of Small Schemes and Local Operators

Mahbob recognises that the schemes have to remain small, that is, no larger than about 1000 household collections, otherwise they will lose their effectiveness. Using local operators means that the residents know the people that they are dealing with and this makes the collection of money for the service easier.
 

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Intermediate Technology would like to thank Mahbob Ahsan Khurram for providing the original material on the conversion of rickshaws for waste collection.

Further reading from ITDG Development Bookshop

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This new edition of Friends of the Earth's popular recycling guide examines the 'throwaway society' and offers positive solutions to its waste problem. It explains what is thrown away, why so much of it is produced, and the environmental problems this causes. And it offers practical suggestions for how to help the planet by reducing the amount of waste you and your family produce.
£4.99 1998 46pp pb (Friends of the Earth) ISBN 1857502000

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Plastic Waste: Options for small-scale resource recovery
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£11.50 1995 112pp (TOOL) ISBN 9070857340

Reuse, Repair, Recycle: A mine of creative ideas for thrifty living
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£7.99 1993 288pp (Gaia Books) ISBN 1856750450
 

TVE/ Practical Action gratefully acknowledge support for the HANDS ON programmes from the UK's Department for International Development (DFID), the European Commission (EC), the UN Foundation and UNDP/The Equator Initiative in collaboration with the Government of Canada, IDRC, IUCN, BrasilConnects and the Nature Conservancy.