Pune Municipal Corporation Honored At Zero Waste Cities Global Event

Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) received recognition at the International Zero Waste Cities Conference 2023, held last week in Manila, Philippines, and was organised by the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA).

During the conference, the 15-year partnership between Pune Municipal Corporation and SWaCH Cooperative was highlighted for its ongoing efforts to build an inclusive zero waste system with the city's waste pickers to solve this crisis sustainably. With members from various organisations, Lubna Anantakrishnan of Kashtakari Panchayat and Ketaki Ghatge of PMC highlighted the lessons learned from Pune's inclusive PMC-SWaCH model, as reported by The Indian Express.

Pune joined around 40 other cities in signing the Global Methane Pledge to help present to the world zero-waste models developed by Asian cities based on trash segregation, at-source wet waste management, and waste picker-led material recovery.

The effective zero waste plan devised by the Pune Municipal Corporation and SWaCH garbage pickers will be recognised as an ideal working model for other cities to establish improved waste management systems.

PMC's Waste Management Initiatives

According to a press release from the SWaCH cooperative, PMC is developing solutions with garbage pickers, such as composting and modular biogas, to handle wet waste at the source. At the municipal level, the effort is helping to prevent organic waste, the third-largest source of methane emissions, from being dumped in landfills. Additionally, PMC collaborates with waste collectors to build creative management strategies, particularly for challenging-to-recycle plastics like Multilayered Plastic, Sanitary Waste, and Thermocol. These equitable, sustainable, and inclusive trash management systems serve as a global model for governments and cities.

Managing Trustee of Kashtakari Panchayat Lubna Anantakrishnan stated, "On behalf of waste pickers from Pune, I would like to express very firmly that we are with you, that we are partners in Zero Waste, and that we are participants in the movement against plastic. Ultimately, we want to stop the flow. Although we must participate in the solution, we are a part of it. Remember us. Zero Waste is useless without waste pickers."

In Pune Municipal Corporation's Department of Solid Waste Management, Assistant Medical Officer Dr Ketaki Ghatge stated, "Informal waste pickers are strong. Despite being underprivileged, they are inventive and tough. To empower people rather than deny them their rights. Instead of excluding them, we ought to integrate them, just like Pune has. Instead of replacing them, we should upgrade them."

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