Suraj Damor*, 26, first began migrating to Ahmedabad from Jhabua district in Madhya Pradesh when he was 17 years old. Damor, a Bhil Adivasi, would initially find daily wage construction work at labour nakas. In 2016, a relative told him about the opportunity of driving a door-to-door waste collection vehicle in Ahmedabad, which would assure him secure employment in comparison to the daily grind of seeking work at the naka. It also meant he could work with his wife, and take their child along in the vehicle.
Many urban local bodies in India collect residential and commercial waste door-to-door, and transfer it directly to Material Recovery Facilities, a solution to the problem of ever-mounting waste. In 2021-22, as per the latest report from the Central Pollution Control Board, urban India generated more than 62 million tonnes of solid waste annually, of which about 57.1 million tonnes was collected, and around 33.4 million tonnes processed.
