Pune Waste Collection May Be Disrupted Today As Waste Pickers Mourn Senior Labour Leader Dr. Baba Adhav
Pune Waste Collection May Be Disrupted Today As Waste Pickers Mourn Senior Labour Leader Dr. Baba Adhav
Pune, December 9, 2025: Senior labour leader and a pioneering voice for waste pickers, Dr. Baba Adhav, passed away on 8 December 2025, leaving behind a legacy of relentless struggle for the dignity and rights of workers. His death has deeply affected Pune’s waste picker community, for whom he served as a mentor, guide, and elder brother for decades.
Dr. Adhav played a transformative role in the establishment of the Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat (KKPKP) in 1993 and continued to remain a steadfast companion in the journey of thousands of waste picker women, whom he fondly referred to as his sisters.
Through KKPKP and the SWaCH cooperative, he strengthened unity among waste pickers, helping them reclaim respect and recognition in society. Many waste pickers recall, “We were treated like waste; Baba made us human.”
As waste pickers from across the city travel to attend his last rites, door-to-door waste collection in Pune is likely to face disruptions for a day.
The community has appealed to citizens to cooperate and extend understanding during this temporary interruption, allowing waste pickers the opportunity to pay their final respects to Dr. Baba Adhav.
