A new door-to-door garbage collection project has been launched in Lahore, aimed at improving sanitation services across the city and surrounding villages. With this initiative, the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) will see its annual budget rise from Rs16 billion to Rs22 billion. The project will provide cleaning and garbage collection services in villages, a service that was previously unavailable.
The government has set a deadline of March 30 for the completion of this service in all 274 union councils of Lahore. A garbage tax will be imposed on residential and commercial properties by the Punjab government once LWMC starts its collection services. The tax will help fund the new system. However, some residents have expressed concerns over the added financial burden amid rising inflation.
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The LWMC spends over Rs 16 billion each year on waste management in Lahore city, but villages still lack these services. As part of the provincial government’s Suthra Punjab programme, the new initiative includes garbage collection from homes, cleaning of roadsand waste disposal in rural areas.
Pilot Project and More
Initially, a pilot project has been launched in 20 union councils across nine towns in Lahore, with plans to expand the service to all union councils by March 30. The project will cover about 70% of urban areas and 300 villages.
The Punjab government has approved purchasing machinery and hiring more staff for the project. In the first phase, 2,800 loader rickshaws have been acquired, and 3,810 employees hired, with another 2,932 to be recruited. This will increase LWMC’s total employees to over 18,000, raising its annual expenses to Rs 22 billion.
The LWMC has developed several business plans to help recover the costs, including a plan for garbage tax collection. However, previous attempts to generate revenue through similar plans have not been successful. The government has approved a garbage charge of Rs200 per month for homes in villages and smaller urban houses. Rs400 will be taken from houses ranging from 10 marla to a kanal and Rs300 to Rs700 from shopkeepers.
While many are in favour of the improved sanitation services, residents like Muhammad Rizwan have raised concerns about the additional taxes, given the current economic challenges. Despite the criticism, LWMC CEO Sahib Deen Babar affirmed that door-to-door garbage collection would be fully operational by March 30, with the tax collection to begin once the service is established.
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