Door-to-door waste collection falters in Madurai

Madurai: Door-to-door waste collection in Madurai city has become very irregular for several weeks, with workers often not turning up for more than three or four days in a row, say residents.

They say waste is kept out early, but the garbage is left to rot in the heat as it is left unattended, creating a stench in the area.Dumper bins have been filling up much faster as residents seek an alternative to get rid of waste from their homes. As a result, more waste has been accumulating on the sides of the road, near and around dumper bins and also in water and sewage channels in the city, leading to blockages.“Waste collection, especially in the more residential areas of the city, has been severely affected. Door-to-door collection happens only once or twice a week on average, says Ashok, a resident of SS Colony. He said there used to be regular collection in several main areas around the city earlier, but this has also reduced in the past few weeks.According to a senior corporation official, door-to-door collection of waste is being handled by the private contractor for waste management. “To combat the reduced performance of door-to-door collection, an additional afternoon garbage clearing drive has been launched,” he said.Corporation sanitation workers have been tasked with clearing the dumper bins in the afternoon and evening, once they have been filled, to keep the bins ready for the next morning. “The addition of the afternoon shift will reduce the load of workers during the other shifts and spread out the garbage truck traffic to the Vellaikkal dump yard evenly over the day,” the official said.