Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Solid and Liquid Waste Management
Training Program

‘Vellore Model’




Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
(asked by residents and government officials)

Q 1: I am already paying taxes to the government. Why should I pay extra money for waste management?

A: Sitting back and asking questions will not take us anywhere closer to the solution. If we sit up and take the initiative, we will also gain the power to demand more and better services from the government in other areas.

i. How much money do you spend for the doctor every month? Don’t you pay more than Rs.20 for a single consultation? Plus the cost of medicine. Most of these diseases are caused by unhygienic surroundings. You will be saving a lot of money if you contribute Rs. 20 every month for a systematic ZWM.

ii. If the drainage gets blocked, don’t you pay the workers to clear them out for you? Our workers will clean your drains regularly, which will be covered by your monthly subscription fee.

iii. Your money is not going to the government. It is going towards generating employment for the poor people. 4 people get employed by every 275 households.

Q 2: What benefits will I get in return for the subscription fee I pay every month?
A: For just Rs. 20, you will enjoy 40 benefits / advantages over the current system. These are:
1. Waste will be collected at the doorstep.
2. Waste is collected between 7 and 10:30 am, mostly before office hours.
3. A free dustbin (bamboo) will be given to each household to separately store dry waste.
4. The formation of residents’ association for ZWM also provides a platform for people’s participation and ownership of other developmental activities of the area. This also serves as the bridge between the local community and the local administrative body.
5. A calendar – information card will be given to each household.
6. Workers will return any checks, important documents, license cards, ATM and credit cards, jewels and money found in the waste from the houses.
7. Every household gets phone numbers to register complaint if they have problems related to waste collection.
8. The tricycles have a distinct bell, so that the households don’t confuse it will the sounds of other bells (ice cream vendors, etc.)
9. Waste is collected on all the seven days of the week throughout the year (including rainy days). Workers work half-days even on holidays. One worker is appointed to substitute workers on leave.
10. There will not be any unsightly road-side dustbins attracting flies and giving out smell.
11. Stray dogs and pigs will stop visiting the area, thus preventing diseases like brain fever and rabies.
12. No motorised vehicles are used for waste collection and no motorised equipment is used for the ZWC operations. So, there is no noise or air pollution.
13. Small tricycles serve narrow streets and lanes.
14. Tricycles are covered to avoid littering.
15. We appoint a supervisor for every tricycle to monitor the waste collection.
16. All workers have uniform and ID card so that they can be easily identified.
17. It is ensured that the workers have no police case, and have a good character from the local police station.
18. Drains are cleaned, and the wild shrubs growing along the streets are cleared in the afternoons.
19. Workers plant trees in the area and take care of them.
20. Workers develop and maintain street gardens. Waste will not be burnt ensuring that there is no air pollution from burning.
21. Clean drains and the absence of dustbins discourage mosquito and house fly breeding.
22. Clean drains and clear surroundings reduce the incidence of waterborne diseases.
23. Supervisors have cellphones and can be contacted at any time.
24. Dead animals are removed from the area when informed.
25. Special service is provided on special occassions (functions, ceremonies and family get togethers).
26. No phenyl or bleaching powder is used in the area or in the ZWC.
27. Employment generation for the local youth reduces anti-social activities (like theft and pickpocketing) in the area.
28. Residents will be informed when the workers will be on leave for half-a-day.
29. Receipts are given for all monetary contributions made.
30. Servants will be trained (on request) on waste segregation and depositing it in respective compartments in the tricycle every morning.
31. The tricycle contains a first aid and a tool box, which can be used by the residents or passers by when needed.
32. The tricycle contains a complaint box, where residents can deposit complaints / suggestions on any civic / environmental issue in their area. These will be handed over to the appropriate authorities.
33. The local dumping ground is done away with, reducing soil, water and air pollution.
34. One tricycle will not serve more than 275 families, ensuring a good ratio and good care and individual attention to needs and problems.
35. Garden wastes are collected in the afternoons on request.
36. Some of the compost generated at the ZWC is used to develop roadside gardens.
37. Workers also function as messengers for important events of social relevance like polio vaccination drive, election information, demonstrations, etc.
38. Empty plots in the area will be cleared, cleaned and maintained, reducing dangers from snakes and rodents.
39. Separate waste collection facilities for marriage halls and hotels ensure that their waste does not get dumped in the residential areas causing inconvenience.
40. Local schools and colleges will be involved wherever possible, to generate awareness. They will be encouraged to develop ZWM as a learning activity.

Q 3: If we have the compost shed in the residential area, won’t it give out bad smell?

A: The following steps undertaken will ensure that the composting process does not give out a bad smell
Reason for bad smell
1.Waste is not collected on some days. It gets accumulated in the road side dustbins for more than one day rotting.
2.Waste stays in the household for more than a day.
3.Delayed composting creates anaerobic (absence of air) conditions.
4.Anerobic conditions created in the compost beds and tanks, due to weight of waste loaded everyday.
5.When bacterial innoculum is not uniform (when sprayed on layers of waste), some parts of the waste do not decompose fast.
6.Sometimes, bacterial innoculum is not available for use immediately.
When workers stand on top of the compost beds, they compress the waste creating anaerobic conditions. The leachate that oozes out in the pressure also stagnates and causes bad smell.
7.When large vegetable pieces like whole ash guard are dumped in the compost tank, they take a long time to decompose. The rotting of these large pieces causes bad smell.
8.Increased moisture content causes bad smell.

How it is avoided
Waste is collected on all the 365 days a year.
1.Waste gets collected in less than 24 hours after generation.
2.Within a few hours of collection, fresh bacteria from cow dung are introduced.
3.The tanks / beds have holes / gaps with bamboo pipes inserted in them for continuous aeration.
4.The waste is thoroughly mixed with cowdung slurry and only then fed into the compost beds and tanks. This ensures that the waste is uniformly exposed to bacterial action.
5.Cattle dung is available 24 hours since the ZWC has a cattle shed right inside.
6.Workers never stand on top of the compost bed while loading or unloading the waste. They use a ladder, and do the operations from outside the bed / tank.
7.Workers cut large chunks into small pieces and then load them in to the compost tank.
8.In case the moisture content of organic matter increases, dry matter such as dry leaves, saw dust, or residue from already sieved compost, etc. are added.

Q 4: Will this project last? How do we know this will not shut down in a month or two?
A: ZWM is now mandated by the Supreme Court. This will be a people’s project, and hence will continue over time. It is already going on successfully in a lot of places.

Q 5: If private workers are taking up SWM, what will the government sanitary workers do?
A: There is a perpetual shortage of workers, and there is a lot of work even in this area. They will be employed in regular sweeping of the streets, regular cleaning of the areas and the drains, cleaning of areas before the launch of ZWM, desilting clogged canals, etc.

Q 6: If the Municipality stops taking care of SWM, what is their job?
A: SWM is not the only job of the Municipality. It has many other responsibilities like birth and death registration, census, water supply, Public Health Centre, preventing disease by maintaining the sewers and storm water drains, mosquito control, controlling the quality of food sold along roadsides, controlling the population of stray dogs and pigs, etc. Also, the work load of the Municipality has increased many times with the population growth from before to now. Relieving them of the SWM pressure, we can expect (and when necessary demand) better services from them in these other areas.

Q 7: What is the role of the ward councilor, if the local community association is formed to manage the project and for overall area development?
A: The ward councilors are not excluded from the committee. They are important members of the planning committee. It is clear that without people’s participation, the ward councilors cannot fulfil their duties effectively. In many places, the direct involvement of the local community has brought in resources and other forms of help when needed.