Honesty On Duty In Pune: SWaCH Waste Picker Helps Return Lost Gold Ring In Wagholi
Honesty On Duty In Pune: SWaCH Waste Picker Helps Return Lost Gold Ring In Wagholi
Pune, February 25, 2026: Rekha Sakat, a waste picker of the SWaCH cooperative, has been regularly providing door-to-door waste collection services in Wagholi for the past seven years. On 22 February, while carrying out her routine collection rounds in the Vijay Vihar Society, she noticed some waste and other household belongings kept outside a house.
She learned that the residents of that house had shifted cities on the same day and had kept waste outside their door. To prevent the belongings from being scattered, Rekha tai carefully tied them together in a bedsheet and placed the bundle in the waste container located below the building.
That evening, the SWaCH ward coordinator, Pournima Ovhal, received a phone call from the concerned resident, who inquired whether any valuable items from their house had been found. Pournima tai immediately contacted Rekha tai. Rekha tai replied that she had not noticed anything at that time, but clearly stated that she would personally go and check the next morning. Meanwhile, Pournima, with her presence of mind, called the municipal sanitation worker and the driver responsible for transporting the container, instructing them not to move the container until further instructions were given.
The next morning at 7 a.m., Rekha Sakat and Pournima Oval both reached the site. While staying connected with the resident on a video call, Rekha tai climbed directly into the container and began searching through the belongings. She retrieved the bundle containing the resident’s items and emptied the bags. “I went through every single paper,” Rekha tai said. She examined all the items carefully. Finally, the resident recalled, “There is a small bag containing flowers for worship.” When that bag was emptied and checked, the missing gold ring was found inside.
The ring was immediately handed over to the society’s chairman for safekeeping, and photographs were sent to the resident to reassure them. Expressing gratitude for this honesty, the resident rewarded Rekha tai with a cash token. Such incidents continue to highlight SWaCH waste pickers’ honesty, their integrity towards their work and commitment to citizens.
These long-standing relationships between waste pickers and citizens have an invaluable impact on the city.
