A new door-to-door garbage collection project has been launched in Lahore, aimed at improving sanitation services across the city and its 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, approved by the Punjab government, will be levied on residential and commercial properties once the LWMC rolls out its collection services. The tax will help fund the new system, though some residents have expressed concerns over the added financial burden amid rising inflation.
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The LWMC currently spends over Rs16 billion annually on waste management within Lahore city, but until now, villages have not had access to these services. As part of the provincial government’s Suthra Punjab program, the new initiative includes garbage collection from homes, cleaning of roads, and waste disposal in rural areas.
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.
To support the project, the Punjab government has approved the purchase of machinery and the hiring of additional staff. As part of the first phase, 2,800 loader rickshaws have been purchased, and 3,810 employees have been hired, with another 2,932 workers yet to be recruited. The total number of LWMC employees will increase to over 18,000, and the company’s annual expenses are set to rise to Rs22 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 for houses ranging from 10 marla to a kanal, and a fee of Rs300 to Rs700 for 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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