Challenges in ‘Community Organisation’ …
183
4.6 Conclusion: Scrap Pickers—As Community?
In large parts of Ahmedabad, the scrap pickers seem to lack a collective identity on
account of the above-mentioned issues and factors. Such a collective identity is what
would identify an organised livelihood group whether at the ward or neighbourhood
level. The attempts by Swachh Bharat Mission to ‘promote integration of waste
pickers into municipal waste management processes’, needs to develop a nuanced
understanding of the challenges in community organisation of such waste pickers’
groups. There have been attempts in Ahmedabad by organisations like Self-Employed
Women’s Association
2 (SEWA) Manav Sadhana
3 to organise such livelihood groups.
In the case of waste pickers organised by SEWA, this collective identity seems to have
gradually been eroded in the western parts of the city. These waste pickers were earlier
engaged in primary door-to-door waste collection, through a contractual arrangement
between SEWA and Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to provide such
services. In interviews with former members of SEWA, it was mentioned that the
sudden discontinuation of these arrangements with AMC was a severe stress to the
collective efforts and led to a loss of trust among the members. In the absence of
such arrangements, the collective identity that seemed to have helped the informal
workers earlier has been lost on account of a lack of recognition by the municipal
corporation. In the case of Manav Sadhana, such a collective identity has taken a lot
of effort and time to get cultivated and is still to be consolidated around the idea of
‘livelihood group’. There does not seem to be any substantial support from AMC
and the group is organised under the umbrella called ‘Paryaravan Mitra (friends of
environment)’ trying to work as a cooperative of waste pickers. The local bodies and
decision-makers at the policy level need to understand that community organisation
with such groups demands a nuanced understanding of the fissures and fractures
within the socio-economic context in which such waste picking households operate.
Thus, the community organisation of such livelihood groups demand time and effort
which needs to be appreciated by the local bodies concerned. Programme manuals
and guidelines need to consider these realities and challenges if they are to support
local/grassroots initiatives by NGOs/CBOs to integrate the waste pickers in municipal
solid waste management processes. Conceptualising the un-organised sector of waste
pickers as a heterogenous community is the first step towards supporting community
organisation for effective solid waste management.
Acknowledgements All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in
accordance with ethical standards of the institutional research committee and informed consent
was obtained from all individual participants in the study. Authors appreciate the organisation for
generous support towards the successful completion of the study.
2 SEWA is a trade union of self-employed women workers working since 1972 in Ahmedabad.
3 Manav Sadhana is a public charitable trust working in Ahmedabad since 1995 under whose
umbrella is the initiative of ‘Paryavaran Mitra’ which is trying to organise a cooperative of rag
pickers in select locations of Ahmedabad.
183
4.6 Conclusion: Scrap Pickers—As Community?
In large parts of Ahmedabad, the scrap pickers seem to lack a collective identity on
account of the above-mentioned issues and factors. Such a collective identity is what
would identify an organised livelihood group whether at the ward or neighbourhood
level. The attempts by Swachh Bharat Mission to ‘promote integration of waste
pickers into municipal waste management processes’, needs to develop a nuanced
understanding of the challenges in community organisation of such waste pickers’
groups. There have been attempts in Ahmedabad by organisations like Self-Employed
Women’s Association
2 (SEWA) Manav Sadhana
3 to organise such livelihood groups.
In the case of waste pickers organised by SEWA, this collective identity seems to have
gradually been eroded in the western parts of the city. These waste pickers were earlier
engaged in primary door-to-door waste collection, through a contractual arrangement
between SEWA and Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to provide such
services. In interviews with former members of SEWA, it was mentioned that the
sudden discontinuation of these arrangements with AMC was a severe stress to the
collective efforts and led to a loss of trust among the members. In the absence of
such arrangements, the collective identity that seemed to have helped the informal
workers earlier has been lost on account of a lack of recognition by the municipal
corporation. In the case of Manav Sadhana, such a collective identity has taken a lot
of effort and time to get cultivated and is still to be consolidated around the idea of
‘livelihood group’. There does not seem to be any substantial support from AMC
and the group is organised under the umbrella called ‘Paryaravan Mitra (friends of
environment)’ trying to work as a cooperative of waste pickers. The local bodies and
decision-makers at the policy level need to understand that community organisation
with such groups demands a nuanced understanding of the fissures and fractures
within the socio-economic context in which such waste picking households operate.
Thus, the community organisation of such livelihood groups demand time and effort
which needs to be appreciated by the local bodies concerned. Programme manuals
and guidelines need to consider these realities and challenges if they are to support
local/grassroots initiatives by NGOs/CBOs to integrate the waste pickers in municipal
solid waste management processes. Conceptualising the un-organised sector of waste
pickers as a heterogenous community is the first step towards supporting community
organisation for effective solid waste management.
Acknowledgements All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in
accordance with ethical standards of the institutional research committee and informed consent
was obtained from all individual participants in the study. Authors appreciate the organisation for
generous support towards the successful completion of the study.
2 SEWA is a trade union of self-employed women workers working since 1972 in Ahmedabad.
3 Manav Sadhana is a public charitable trust working in Ahmedabad since 1995 under whose
umbrella is the initiative of ‘Paryavaran Mitra’ which is trying to organise a cooperative of rag
pickers in select locations of Ahmedabad.