Segregation at source is one of the avowed objectives behind the door-to-door waste collection programme. Segregated waste helps to reduce pressure on a landfill site at the waste dumping site/treatment plant, with the dry waste going for recycling. Towards this end, the Margao civic authorities have made available bins for segregation of wet and dry waste right within the four walls of the households.
But, welcome to the commercial capital, where waste segregation at source is still a far cry. It’s nearly seven months since the Margao civic body kicked off its ambitious door-to-door waste collection programme with much fanfare in all the 20 municipal wards. Lakhs of rupees must have gone into the procurement of thousands of green and black colour bins by the government for their free supply to the households, but waste segregation either at the source or at the dumping site still remains a pipe dream.
It is an open secret that waste collection door-to-door finds its way in common dust bins and in the compactors collecting mixed waste. Inquiries have revealed that waste segregation at source had kicked off with some positive results in the first month of the introduction of door-to-door waste collection, before the waste collection returned back to square one.
Civic officials in the know have, however, sought to blame the system. A senior official said that around 100 gunny bags stacked with dry waste were despatched to the Sonsodo site by the garbage workers, but they are yet to receive the gunny bags back. “We had sent the dry waste consignment to Sonsodo for further sorting and to send the same for recycling. But the bags have still not been returned back,” remarked the official.
Fomento representatives, however, said that though the dumping site had received the waste in gunny bags, no decision has yet been taken till date on how to go about the situation. “Till date, there’s no communication from the civic body on how to address the dry waste sent in gunny bags to Sonsodo. We have not at all been taken into confidence on the matter,” reacted a Fomento representative.
