Creating a sustainable method of waste
management by changing
the lives of the working poor: a case study
of Waste Concern, Bangladesh
Research Goal: : To understand the development and
maintenance of the Urban-Rural Symbiosis, within
waste concern’s CDM Model and the impacts of that
on the lives of the working poor in Dhaka.
Environmental Health and Equity:
Global Strategies and Innovation
April 30, 2011
McGill University
- Tahiya Mahbub
IHSP
The status of solid waste
management in Bangladesh
• Every day the nearly 11 million
people of Dhaka city produce
around 3,500 tonnes of solid waste.
• Dhaka City Corporation, (DCC)
responsible for this enormous
amount of waste is only able to
collect approximately 42 per cent of
the waste produced each day.
• Waste is left to rot in the various
dumping grounds located in and
around the capital.
Waste Concern
• In this scenario, Waste Concern, founded in
1995 by A.H. Md. Maqsood Sinha and Iftekhar
Enayetullah tackle the challenges of Waste
Management in Dhaka, Bangladesh in a much
more innovative and sustainable manner.
• Company motto: WASTE IS A
RESOURCE
The focus of this case
study was on the work
of Waste Concern in
partnership WWR Bio
Fertilizer Bangladesh
Ltd (a joint venture
company of Waste
Concern and World
Wide Recycling BV, a
Dutch Company).
Maqsood
Sinha
Iftekhar
Enayetullah
(www.wasteconcern.org)
My Case Study
• My case study explores in detail the current main project of Waste Concern
involving their largest endeavor till date. It is known as the Harnessing Clean
Development Mechanism (CDM) for Composting Using Organic Waste
• Under this project Waste Concern operates a 130-tonne-per-day capacity
compost plant located in Bulta, Naranyanganj.
• My questions are:
GQ: In developing and maintaining the Urban-Rural Symbiosis, within the CDM
Model, how does Waste Concern’s work impact the lives of the working poor in
Dhaka?
SQ1: How does the Urban-Rural Symbiosis,
fit into Waste Concern’s CDM Model?
SQ2: How does the CDM model contribute
to the environmental aspects of urban
development and sustainability in Dhaka city?
SQ3: How are urban poor workers
impacted by the CDM Model under which
they work at the Bulta plant?
On Bulta
grounds with
lab scientist
Dr. Hena
Methodology
• Interpretivist Paradigm
• A total of 30 semi-structured interviews
were conducted between June-August
2009 at Waste Concern headquarters and
plants, which were then recorded and
transcribed word-for-word.
• Observations were carried out at plants.
• Gathered data was analyzed inductively.
• Themes were generated from the
findings.
Workers near the bagging section.
3 pillars of CDM
Innovative foreign Investment
Financing
Public-private
cooperation
(www.wasteconcern.org)
People Involved
-Consultants
-Other businesses
-Waste Concern
-Plant
Members
of the
Head
Office busy
at work
with Bulta
plant
officials
AIMS OF CDM
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sustainable development for solid waste
management.
Create a demand for compost in
Bangladesh
Improve soil conditions and ensure food
security.
Impact the national agriculture policy of
the country.
Establishment of a large scale composting
plant to recover organic wastes.
Development of alternative solid waste
management system to reduce the burden
of waste on the municipality and the
landfills.
Create job opportunities
Create a urban-rural symbiotic system of
workable waste management for
Bangladesh
(Maqsood & Enayetullah, 2010)
BASIC BULTA FACTS
Operation since 25 November 2009
Plant area: 14,744 square meters
Employment: 90 ppl (30CUR)
Waste recycling capacity: 130 tonnes per
day (70-80 CUR)
The total cost of the CDM project is 12
million Euros (currently: 2.5 m)
Annual income/revenue of
Bulta 400,000 euros.
From sale of compost: 285,700 euros
Income from sale of CER (carbon
emission reduction): 114,300
Monthly expenditure of Bulta plant is
roughly 21,000 euros per month which
includes salary and other expenditures.
On a yearly basis, 148,000 euros
approximately is profited from the
Bulta plant.
Bulta Plant in Pictures
The major
highway on which
the plant is
located in Bulta,
Narayanganj.
The entranceway of the
plant. The office
building can be seen on
the left.
The Bulta Plant gate and entrance.
Bulta Plant in Pictures
Pile of waste close to
complete maturation
at the Bulta Plant,
where the land of
the Plant is owned
by the project itself.
A truck brings in waste
from the vegetable
markets of Kawran
Bazaar into the Bulta
Plant. This waste will be
weighted on the
weighing bridge before it
is transported for sorting
and segregating.
Men and women work together to
package the final product-organic
fertilizer. All workers wear
protective gloves, masks, scarves,
and hats.
Bulta Plant in Pictures
Gas and temperature of
the piled waste is
monitored throughout its
8-week piling and
maturing phases.
Organic and inorganic
waste is sorted using a
blower machine at the
Bulta Plant.
Organic fertilizerthe final product of
the Bulta Plant.
Worker related themes
-Better opportunity with
greater facilities RECEIVED
-Cooperative
Working
Environment
-Economic
Ambiguity
-Social Unease
•On-time salary & timely overtime pay
•21 days casual leave, every Friday off & 7 days off for sickleave
•On-site medical care & monthly check-ups
•Prayer room & shower room
•Childcare services for women with children.
•On-site lunch/iftar (during Ramadan)
•Safety equipments (mask, gloves, cap, jacket)
•Flexible working methods & resting scheduled times
NOT RECEIVED (at this time)
•employment cards
•provident fund/pension
•contracts
•incremental salary increase after one year of work.
Currently, the salary for the workers at the Bulta Plant is
Taka 4200 per month. It started at that rate from the
operation phase in November 2009.
Workers’ Quotes…
Here there are many facilities: 8 a.m. to
5 p.m. duty, Fridays off, we also get
holidays here. Then if we are sick then
we get day off then our sirs help us a lot,
then our salary is better than the
garment sector. In my previous job at a
garment factory, I was the quality
controller, my position was high but I did
not get proper salary, always late, and
the facilities were less. Then I had to do
overtime there but did not get money but
here if I work for an hour then I get the
proper money which I did not get there.
Here we get 21 days off per year. Here
we also get lunch and we don’t need to
go outside for lunch. But when I was at
garments I had to go outside for lunch.
We can also shower here before we
leave.” (Aisha, Female Worker, Bulta,
Theme: Better opportunity with
greater facilities )
Here we get government holidays, every
Friday is off… though the salary is a bit
problematic, you know it is around takas
4200 it’s a bit low, for the kind of physical
work we do.…if the salary is being
raised then it is good. If the salary is 6 to
7 thousand takas then it is good for us,
considering we are not educated and not
very qualified to do other types of jobs.
And if we get that we will most likely stay
here for years to come.” (Majed, Male
worker, Bulta Theme: Economic
Ambiguity )
“The people in this area know we work in
the garbage department and often they
question us about it. They ask me and
my wife, how do you this smelly type of
work? I say I do it for my stomach. If I
did not do it, what would I eat? My
children and my kids will starve. They
will feel “koshto” (pain). We have to do
something to live.” (Mintu, Male Worker,
Bulta, Theme: Social Unease)
Features
•
•
•
•
•
Challenges
•an overall review of the salary
scale;
collects waste from the DCC
• a system which allows for
area at 700 tonnes per day
basis in 3 phases;
incremental salaries for workers;
produces compost at 50,000 • higher salaries for people with
tonnes per year;
more experience;
reduces methane gas
• travel/commute stipends;
emissions at 89,000 tonnes of
• job contracts;
CO2e per year;
will provide jobs to 800 urban • pension system for job security;
• have a more fair leave policy;
poor residents;
• and train workers with
healthier organic fruits and
vegetables are grown with
transferable skills
organic fertilizer
Conclusions
The CDM project of Waste Concern is an innovative project that
– allows waste to be utilized as a resource bringing both monetary and
environmental gain to Bangladesh through CER trading and organic waste
production.
– is a self-sustaining, self-funded project that creates a unique public-private
partnership.
– Creates new businesses
– is an environmentally sustainable project where waste is processed and
produced into organic fertilizer for re-use into farmland
– allows the yielding of more healthier fruits and vegetables which is in general
better for society.
– generates a chained link or urban-rural symbiosis
– Employs urban workers with some facilities