Hyderabad: The 25-30 tonnes of dry waste that the 97,600 households in Rajendranagar division generate every day turns into big money for the GHMC’s waste collectors.
On record, each tricycle driver earns Rs 60,000 per month — Rs 30,000 from the non-degradable waste that is sold to ITC and the rest through door-to-door garbage collection fee of Rs 50 from 600 households.
The dry waste includes paper, cans, tins, cardboard and plastic and is sold at Rs 8 to Rs 10 per kg. This waste is sold by the company to recycling industries for a higher price.
Mr Ucharriappa, a GHMC auto-tipper owner who earns between Rs 50,000 and Rs 60,000 per month, explained, “I am allocated 800 houses in Upparapally. Each house pays me '50 to collect the garbage, totalling Rs 40,000 per month. Through the segregated waste from the households, I earn Rs 500- 600 per day by selling plastic, cardboard, cans and tins to ITC. The company pays Rs 8 for 1 kg cardboard, Rs 3 kg for coloured paper, Rs 6 for 1 kg of newspapers.”
He said he pays Rs 40,000 for the auto-tipper, salary for the driver and vehicle maintenance. “With the rest of the money, I manage my household, pay my house rent as well as children’s fee. I save money for my daughter’s college fee.”
Another worker G. Jahangir, who collects waste from Raghavendra colony, earns much less. He said, “The maximum I gained out of dry waste was Rs18,000 a month.”
- Rajendranagar area – 52 square kilometre
- Number of election wards- 5
- Total population – 2.29 lakh
- Number of households – 97,600
- Sanitation workers – 595
