The 13^th Compound

Once the rag pickers wade through the mountains of waste in the landfills and separate the easily recyclable dry waste like plastic, metal and glass, they then sell these to scrap dealers. These dealers deal with it in a multitude of ways including re-selling it directly back to the industry or selling it to recyclers. Most of the recyclers have set up shop in Dharavi’s 13^th Compound.

This is the area of Dharavi where most of the recycling takes place. There are about 722 different factories and businesses set up here to deal with the waste that is brought in by the rag pickers. Everything is grist for the recycling mill, from plastic to iron and steel scraps to medical waste.

Another big business is the recycling or repair of the ubiquitous blue plastic drums that are used for storage purposes across the country. Industries from across India send the drums to Dharavi. If possible the drums are repaired using plastic waste and sent back if not they are recycled.

Plastic to be recycled is first crushed into small pieces and then “washed” in a large drum. The pieces are then scooped out and laid on the roofs of the houses to dry. They then continue their journey by being dyed to a pre-chosen colour (depending on the finished product) and then are converted by yet another machine into pellets. These pellets are then shipped out of Dharavi for the last stage of the process where they are melted down and poured into moulds, ready to fulfil the demands of the market.

Soap too is melted down and processed as are oil cans which are given a new lease on life by being cleaned, mended and polished before being resold to consumers.

These are just a few of the ways in which Dharavi is contributing to the overall upliftment of Mumbai. It is in fact often called the ecological heart of the city, and deservedly so.