DSCC targets 100,000kg waste collection thru exchange prog

The Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Bidyanondo Foundation have launched a programme to collect 100,000kg of waste across the capital over the next year through an exchange initiative.

Titled ‘Groceries in Exchange for Waste’, the programme will conduct 100 mobile campaigns across different parts of the city to encourage residents to hand over waste in return for essential household items.

The initiative was launched at a field near the Hazaribagh slum in Ward 55 of Dhaka.
Under the programme, residents can exchange collected waste for essentials including rice, lentils, cooking oil, salt, potatoes and tissues.

DSCC Administrator Md Abdus Salam stressed the importance of public participation in keeping the capital clean.

He said indiscriminate dumping of plastic and other waste into drains and canals obstructs water flow and contributes to waterlogging in the city.

As part of the initiative, a permanent waste collection stall will be opened in Gulistan within a week, while the DSCC plans to establish one permanent stall in every ward within the next three to four months.

Bidyanondo Foundation Executive Director Jamal Uddin said the programme was designed to bring low-income communities into the waste management process.

He said the foundation had earned around BDT 10 million by selling plastic waste over the past two years. The money was used to provide food to nearly 400,000 people.

The initiative therefore seeks not only to reduce waste in the city but also to turn discarded plastic into a resource that can support people in need.

Meanwhile, the DSCC is also planning to introduce another initiative titled ‘Food in Exchange for Reading Books’ for street children.

The programme aims to encourage street children to read while providing them with food, adding another social dimension to the city corporation’s planned community initiatives.