The Maximum City is home to 4,980 litter bins. But, a walk down any street of the city is enough to prove that Mumbaikars treat the entire metropolis as their own personal dustbin
Plans to check littering by placing over 4,500 bins failed, but the BMC hopes 1,550 more pole-mounted bins may help curb menace
The Maximum City is home to 4,980 litter bins. But, a walk down any street of the city is enough to prove that Mumbaikars treat the entire metropolis as their own personal dustbin. A little over a month after the country celebrated three years of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, the civic body is planning to purchase 1,550 stainless steel pole-mounted bins, to be installed at prominent locations, to curb the menace of littering. According to sources in the BMC, Rs 1.39 crore will be spent on purchasing these bins.
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While litter bins dot the entire city, most people choose to litter the roads. Representation pic
Previous plans failed
Significantly, over 4,500 pole-mounted bins were installed in 2013 as part of an initiative by the government to make Mumbai a zero litter city. In a bid to check the menace, the civic body had conducted a survey and identified key locations across the city, where littering is most prevalent.
An official from the Solid Waste Management Department (SWM) said, "People are prone to throwing things out of the window while moving around the city in vehicles. However, maximum littering can be seen at station premises and near bus stops. Over the years, we have installed 4,980 bins at key locations across the city, as suggested by local corporators. These bins are installed at public places such as bus stops, railway station premises, colleges, shopping malls, markets, tourist places as well as near zebra crossings, but few people avail of the facility."
According to BMC sources, the proposal to purchase more bins will be tabled for approval in the Standing Committee today. "If the proposal is cleared, contractors are expected to finish installing the bins in the next six months," a source said.
Bin theft
Incidentally, besides damage to litter bins, the BMC has also received several reports of bin thefts in the past several months. A senior civic official said, "Initially, we had installed plastic pins, to reduce cost of implementation of the project. But, anti-social elements around the city were quick to damage or steal them."
The BMC bins
A litter bin unit includes two small garbage holders – for dry and wet waste – with a capacity of 20 litres each. Sources said that the civic body is likely to pay Rs 8,999 for a single litter bin unit.
Rs 8,999
Cost of one litter bin unit
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