The Problem
Waste Management has been a largely neglected topic in the rural areas and is now becoming more and more relevant with increasing availability and consumption of various types of consumer products. It is important to create a model where waste management can get extended to the rural parts of India.
Due to distribution expansion by consumer goods companies, availability and use of packaged products wrapped in plastic has been continuously increasing over the years. While most large towns and cities have at least some formal/ informal system of plastic waste collectors and aggregators, that is not the case for a large number of villages in the country.
As a result waste either gets littered or burnt at the house/village level causing enormous air, water and soil pollution. Open burning of waste is not only a source of air and soil pollution but also a major cause of concern for human and animal health.
Our Solution Approach
While the problem is omnipresent in the villages, there is openness among the villagers to be a part of the solution if they get the right support. The Swacch Bharat Mission which has till now primarily focused on open defecation at villages is now keen to focus on the solid waste management. Unlike urban areas, there are very minimal organized infrastructure for recycling dry waste. Hence, our solution is focused on plastic waste to start with and then address all other types of waste.
We are currently conducting a pilot project in 7 villages in Raigad district for waste management and can replicate this project across various villages in the district. This project is being implemented in partnership with Swades Foundation which has a very strong community connect and is committed to working in the waste management area with GCF.
