Metro India News | AMARAVATI

If all goes according to plan, Andhra Pradesh Government may well replicate Pune city’s waste management practices. Kommareddy Pattabhiram, Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh Swachh Andhra Corporation, and his team recently visited Pune, Maharashtra, to learn about a unique system involving rag pickers.

Pattabhiram believes that Pune's waste management model could be highly beneficial for Andhra Pradesh. He plans to brief Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu about their findings and is considering inviting the Swach Cooperative Society team to Andhra Pradesh to give a presentation on their operations. He affirmed that this initiative has the potential to significantly benefit the state and that he would soon discuss the matter with the Chief Minister to develop appropriate guidelines for implementation.

How Pune does it

In Pune, approximately 8,000 rag pickers have formed a cooperative society called “Swach Cooperative Society. This society facilitates door-to-door collection of wet and dry waste, which is then segregated and transported to transfer stations before being sent to processing units. Notably, the society enables its members to sell recyclable materials like plastic covers, water bottles, and PET bottles, generating an income of over Rs.25,000 per month for each member.

Pattabhiram and his team were given a first-hand demonstration of the waste collection and segregation process by Vidyavati, Director of the Swach Cooperative Society, and her team. Pattabhiram highlighted the significant role of local NGOs in supporting this initiative. He also noted the predominantly female composition of the rag picker workforce, drawing a parallel to the DWCRA (Development of Women and Children in Rural Areas) groups introduced in Andhra Pradesh 25 years ago by Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu to empower women economically.