This week we accomplished an extreme amount of tasks, creating a full improvement plan within a period of 5 days. The days were long, we didn't get to sleep too much or much time to eat or take a break but we managed to complete two "dilo's" (day in the life of), a shop-floor meeting and a workshop in order to ensure everyone is equally involved by having the equal chance to be heard and provide input.
The dilo's entailed following the workers around for 2 days to see what happens at the site and in the collection process on a daily basis. The shop-floor meeting held in that we interviewed the workers (sorters, loaders and drivers) in groups to evaluate their needs and complaints to see how we can help improve their work environment. The workshop was held with the managing parties, including Anslem, the director of WWM&CS, Subha, the Elcita (the company that owns the WWM&CS sorting site) representative and SriKrishna, the IGotGarbage representative. During the workshop we presented our findings and we created an improvement plan by reviewing the dilo's and shop-floor meeting and considering which points arose and their priority. It was a great week, meeting the team with whom we will be working the coming months, and integrating into a new culture and lifestyle. The people we have met so far are extremely friendly and welcoming, which of course is a great help for the project, but also a fantastic way for us to adapt and start socialising and get to know the city in our free time. Friday night we went out for a delicious dinner with Srikrishna and Saturday afternoon with the lovely Subha, who prepared a mouthwatering home-cooked Indian lunch. Nevertheless, underneath all the positive energy, we also came to realise the seriousness of the current waste situation, and the high contrast in our environment and the environment in which the sorters, loaders, drivers, and millions more alike grow up in. The coming weeks will be very busy and are crucial for the success of the project, a good start is vital in order to gain the trust of each team member and involved person and allow us to make the needed changes.
