Rickshaw Trolley Community Solid Waste Collection and Disposal System

Contact: Scott Gibbons
Team Leader/Urban Management Specialist
 
Municipality of Mirzapur
UN Habitat best practice

Before this system was introduced, solid waste in most of Mirzapur was collected from neighborhood streets in handcarts and then dumped in heaps on bigger streets. From these heaps it was lifted onto bullock carts or tractor trolleys by shovel or a hydraulic loader. While being loaded, tractor trolleys blocked traffic on the narrow streets. This was inefficient, unsanitary and undependable since the city could not afford to keep the loader operating and the staff could not manage to lift more than a little bit of the city's garbage. Eventually garbage actually blocked many streets and drains, and obstructed maintenance of the drainage and water supply systems. The public had lost confidence and hope in the future and a turnaround could only be brought about through a dramatic improvement in the performance of solid waste collection, yet there was hardly any money available.

Solid waste needed to be lifted from the street to tractor trolleys without hydraulic equipment. To do this the municipality in 1995 designed and introduced a loading platform with an access ramp for direct loading into parked tractor trolleys. Now 10 collection depots manage the city's daily solid waste. They use space that can be found at many places along street rights-of-way and do not interfere with traffic movement. To make operation of the depots feasible, the service area had to be increased. This was achieved through the introduction of a three-wheeled rickshaw trolley with a modified frame for easier pedaling, and a tilting bin for easy unloading, designed and built by local workshops. These easy to move rickshaw trolleys have twice the capacity of handcarts and double their service area to 400 meters.

This low-cost system has eliminated the need for hydraulic lifting throughout the city and dramatically reduced staff physical contact with solid waste. The improvement in city appearance has changed the public attitude toward the city. In addition, the municipality has even donated a rickshaw trolley for replication to the city of Aligarh, provided technical assistance to numerous municipalities from India and Nepal, and is exploring opportunities for private processing of compost.