For the past one month, the ragpickers, trained in vermiculture by SMS, have been working at the Naval Housing Colony at Bhandup, Tata Hydroelectric Colony at Chembur and Prem Jyot Society at Ghatkopar. They reach the colonies at 8 am to collect garbage from the households. Dry waste like glass, paper, cloth and plastic is then segregated and kept aside to be sold to the scrap dealer. Foodstuff, vegetables, eggshells and other wet garbage are dumped into a large vermiculture pit which getsconverted into rich manure after several days. The Naval colony which has more than 530 families generates almost 22 hand-burroughs of waste every day.

S S Bhagwat, BMC's Officer on Special Duty and advisor to the sangathana, says the programme which began in the three societies more than a month ago has brought garbage generation to nil, reducing the BMC's workload. ``This is just the beginning,'' he says, ``Since the ragpickers take what they want and convert the rest into manure, BMC vehicles have stopped coming here to pick up the garbage of the housing societies. The women get paid around Rs 600 per month by the colony. While the Sangathana trains the women, our officers are approaching more housing societies encouraging them to employ them. The BMC is keen on promoting such programmes where waste is controlled at the place of generation itself''.

Says Magre, ``It's a very good deal for us too since we can work with dignity. We no longer have to dig into dustbins on the road. The Sangathana has alsogiven us identity-cards, caps and gloves so that we don't injure ourselves anymore''. The Naval colony is also planning to give out a part of its land to the ragpickers to practise vermiculture and grow vegetables which will be bought by the residents themselves.

Poonam Hudar, member of the SMS, says there are more than a lakh ragpickers in the city. ``We have been able to organise and give identity-cards to almost 1,500 of them. A creche has also been started for their children at the Deonar dumping ground. We will also be conducting literacy classes for the ragpickers and their children.''