The Sweeping Business: Developing Entrepreneurial Skills for the Collection of Solid Waste

THIS BOOK PRESENTS the findings from a project examining the development of micro-enterprise in primary waste collection and examines these in a context of private solutions to solid waste management. It aims to provide guidance in promoting small-scale enterprises for primary collection of solid waste and to demonstrate the range of different solutions which are applicable primarily to South Asia.
The book highlights key issues such as the lack of municipal resources, decentralized approaches and privatization which have been problematic due to inappropriate models and lack of context-specific planning. Micro-enterprise is currently a common form of collecting waste, and this book looks at ways in which upgrading current sweeper collection systems will improve the efficiency of primary collection, sustain or increase sweepers’ incomes, improve their working conditions and reduce municipal responsibility and expenditure.
The research examines the potential of micro-enterprise to provide effective primary waste collection services for the poorest sectors of the community, who live in areas that may currently be unattractive to independent service providers. Sweepers are themselves amongst the poorest and most disadvantaged of urban groups, therefore services need to be developed that benefit not only consumers but also the operatives who deliver them.
The book is divided into five sections. Section I gives some background and shows the scope of the work. Section II examines key issues and current methods. Section III gives brief case studies. Section IV discusses the main themes arising from the case studies and Section V gives guidance for those wishing to initiate or promote the development of micro-enterprise in the primary collection of solid waste. Section V is the key section of the manual and is followed by the case studies referred to in Section III, each with detailed narratives.