Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), spread over 4,355sq. km is home to sevenmunicipal corporations. All Municipal Corporations in India are mandated to look into solid wastemanagement in their functional domains under the 74th Constitutional Amendment. At present, allthe seven municipal corporations depend upon centralised means of managing waste which isdumped at assigned landfills post collection. Apart from the corporation, there are multiple players who play a crucial role in managing the waste. Much of this is managed by informal sectorand now emerging recyclers who are setting up processes for decentralised waste management. This paper explores the scale at which different institutions/communities have taken efforts to successfully manage their waste. Most people are unable to achieve 100% decentralizedmanagement due to lack of appropriate channels for managing rejects and sanitary waste. Moreimportantly, it is imperative to understand the failure and limitations of the municipal corporation since they are financially dependent on the centre and state for their functioning. But despite allthose constraints, it makes sense to gauge energy and material recovery potentials and correlate tomunicipal waste management. By means of different examples and a technology provider for bio-medical waste, we are able to make an impact towards creating greener, sustainable communities.

A request by Alotau Urban Local Level Government (AULLG) was submitted to the Commonwealth Local Government Good Practice Scheme in the Pacific (CLGGPS) in early 2007 for assistance to improve waste management practices. The intention of AULLG was to improve waste management practices within the town in order to ensure that it was kept clean and tidy with a view to enhancing its natural beauty. A direct benefit of this would be Alotau’s desire to become a tourist destination as the region has a huge potential for further development and the subsequent job creation this enhanced industry would bring. AULLG also needed assistance to ensure that waste management administration including budgeting and billing supported a sustainable program for the future.

This paper examines cases of low-level non-compliance in a municipal waste collection services and a state owned railway to identify some of the factors that could be contributing to reoccurring workplace corruption. The analysis suggests that a major factor in repeated workplace corruption is the failure to monitor and implement reforms recommended by investigations and existing organisational integrity systems.

This report was prepared by the International Labour Office as the basis for discussions at the Joint Meeting on the Impact of Decentralization and Privatization on Municipal Services to be held from 15 to 19 October 2001 in Geneva.