The system of door to door collection of garbage, which was introduced in 2017 with much fanfare in the city, has lost its sheen due to poor management.
A few months after introduction of the system, Tiruchi Corporation made a blanket ban on garbage bins and removed more than 500 of them in different parts of the city. Residents were strictly asked to hand over domestic waste only to garbage collectors visiting their homes. The civic body also introduced a spot fine system for those found dumping waste on streets and in public places.
Though the abolition of garbage bins did not go down well with residents, they gradually got accustomed to the new system of handing over domestic waste to sanitary workers after segregating them into bio degradable and non-degradable. It soon became a regular practice. A QR code was also inroduced for garbage collection and follow-up mechanism.
The system now appears to have lost its focus and vigour. There are vociferous voices complaining about its inefficiency. Many criticise the poor management that has ultimately frittered away the aims and objectives of the door-to-door waste collection.
Under the system, waste collectors have to visit each and every household. However, there are houses where the garbage is mounting due to non-collection for several days. Unable to bear the stench, residents dump the waste on streets, particularly on corners where garbage bins were kept.
“It is a common sight to see rubbish scattered on street corners. Daily garbage collection has become highly irregular and erratic. If no one comes to collect domestic waste for days, it inevitable for residents to dump it at public places. Waste, particularly vegetables and food, cannot be kept in houses or flats beyond a point. Authorities should take note of it,” says J.M. Mohan of Lawsons Road.
He points to the heaps of garbage found on Heber Road and several places at Cantonment.
It is alleged that in the absence of an efficient system to monitor the implementation of garbage collection mechanisms, workers skip many areas. It has fuelled the demand for reintroducing garbage bin system as well.
“If the civic body is not able to improve the efficiency of the collection mechanism, it is better to keep garbage bins in street corners. It will enable residents to dump waste, particularly food waste,” says C. Balasubramanian, advisor, Exnora, Tiruchi.
He says the Corporation should revisit the system to list out the gaps. The workers and supervisors should be made accountable if garbage is not collected in their areas.
