BMC picking up pet excreta, to collect e-waste from tomorrow

Mumbai: The BMC has expanded the scope of its household sanitary and special care waste collection service. Pet waste has been included in the service. Additionally, a separate service for e-waste collection will be offered starting May 5.
The service currently includes the collection of used sanitary pads, diapers, expired medicines, and bandages or cotton contaminated with various body fluids like urine, blood, saliva, pus and faeces, among others.
A total of 444 establishments, including housing societies, beauty parlours, educational institutions and women's hostels, have registered for the household sanitary and special care waste collection service. According to the civic body, items such as expired medicines, injections, needles, razor blades, tampons, condoms, and waste generated in beauty parlours are often disposed of with general household waste. This poses a serious health risk to sanitation workers who collect the waste.
The civic body commenced the service in the city on Saturday. However, based on the response received and the suggestions and requests from citizens, the BMC decided to include the collection of pet waste through this service.
Civic officials point out that due to the increasing use of electronic devices in Mumbai, a significant amount of e-waste is generated. It is essential to scientifically dispose of, recycle, and reuse this hazardous waste. Mixing e-waste with general waste can have serious environmental and health impacts due to toxic elements like lead, mercury and cadmium. Therefore, the BMC has initiated a separate e-waste collection service to promote environmental conservation. Registration for this service can be done through a link provided by the BMC or by scanning QR codes.