1. Urban Initiatives of Waste Management
across India
Prepared by:
Faisal Hassan, Shannon Kennedy, Stephen Rabent, and Yan Qu

2. 2
Executive Summary
The issue of waste in India is one where there exist many stakeholders and a diversity of
processes. Centralizing of waste management at the municipal level is a commonality in
most cities in India. However, centralized waste management has led to overwhelming
of landfills that has led to health concerns and civil unrest. Municipal corporations have
contracted out waste management processes to private companies without mandates of
waste segregation and recycling. The industrial lobby has been powerful in their support
for waste to energy plants that cause harm to the environment.
Despite the challenges, the informal sector has presented models of sustainability for
waste management. The unplanned growth of cities in India has led to increases of
waste that have had a role in shifting the waste management process away from
centralization. Municipal corporations have additionally brought support for awareness
campaigns, mandates for segregation of waste, policies for recycling, e-waste collection,
and partnering with organizations that employ workers that make their livelihoods from
waste. These brief case studies examine the current policies of waste management in
four Indian municipalities. Additionally, the research in current policies also highlights
campaigns, interventions, and efforts at sustainability with waste. For Chintan, these
cases represent a reinforcement of your organization’s existing advocacy policies in the
face of the growing problem of waste.

3. 3
Introduction
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan or the Clean India Mission is a national campaign by the
Government of India. The goal of the campaign is to achieve a clean India by the 150th
birthday of Mahatma Gandhi in 2019. To achieve the goal, the government has focused
on specific objectives such as eliminating open defecation with the construction of
toilets, enabling private sector partnerships in sanitation, modernizing municipal solid
waste management, and raising awareness about improving the environment to change
attitudes about sanitation. The following cases briefly explain the current waste
management practices in different municipalities across India. We also outline the
challenges these communities face and the innovative policies that have been
formulated from the municipalities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other
private companies in creating more sustainable and cost effective measures to handle
waste. Best practices and exemplary models for sustainability are highlighted in the
cases to compare the similarities and differences across the four cases. These best
practices also will be useful for Chintan to continue to serve as proof for your advocacy
efforts and forging contacts with other organizations to share knowledge on this issue.
Sikkim
Sikkim is a small state in north east India that shares borders with the state of West
Bengal, People’s Republic of China, Nepal, and Bhutan. The state lies in between the
Himalayan ranges with mountainous terrains. The climate in the state ranges from
subtropical in the south to tundra temperatures in the north. Most of the population
lives in the southern part of the state which also is where the capital, Gangtok, is located.
Waste Management Process in Sikkim
The primary state agency responsible for core services in towns is the Urban
Development and Housing Department (UDHD). Major towns in the state have
continued to grow in recent years which have not only put a strain on the state and city
governments but also have increased the amount of waste. In the capital city, the
Gangtok Municipal Corporation (GMC) is the primary responsible actor for the disposal,
collection, and transport of solid waste. However, in smaller more organized areas,
private companies also are handling the waste. Peripheral areas also see common
burning of the waste and dumping into jhoras or rainwater drainage. NGOs and other
local communities are also active in door to door household collection of waste and
transporting it to transfer points. This is on a limited scale however and the outbreaks of
diseases have increased during the summer months due to the open dumping of waste
and lack of segregation.1
In 2010, the Rural Development Department introduced the zero waste strategy in
Yangang village panchayat in southern Sikkim. The panchayat was able to sign a
memorandum of understanding with the block development officer to segregate solid
waste at a local recovery center. Awareness was spread through door to door campaigns,
1
(National Institute of Urban Affairs, PEARL Initiative, 2015) (Bera, Gupta, & Jitendra, 2014)

4. 4
and separate bins were made available to houses and shops for biodegradable and non-
biodegradable waste. The department also made vehicles available for picking up the
waste and separating it before arriving at the recovery center where it is segregated
further. The village uses its own vehicles and sells recyclable waste to informal dealers
who segregate the waste and then re-sell it outside of the state.2 This process is aimed at
preventing more piles of waste or waste reaching landfills. The money earned from
selling compost and recycled waste is also used to pay for labor at the resource recovery
center. With the state being landlocked and its geography, it is difficult to transport
waste during times of intense weather such as monsoon season. Additionally, the only
channel to send recyclable waste is through Siliguri in West Bengal.2
It is estimated that around 50 metric tons of waste is generated per day in Gangtok. The
compost plant and landfill at Martam has also been overwhelmed with the amount of
waste which has made the need for segregation mandatory for effective management.
Campaigns and Interventions
The Government of Sikkim has introduced a series of interventions to promote
sanitation. These are community driven campaigns to involve all sectors of society to
discourage littering, open defecation, and the virtues of hygiene. Many of these
initiatives have also put an emphasis on the young population by focusing on promoting
clean ideas in schools. Here are some of the initiatives performed in Sikkim:
1. The Gangtok MunicipalCorporation (GMC) instituted an e-waste collection
center that will store all e-waste generated by government departments and
private organizations in the state. The GMC is the first municipal corporation to
initiate an e-waste center. Sikkim generated about 78.1 tons of e-waste from
2014-2015. Nearly 70% of the waste generation comes from the public and
industrial sectors with individual households at around 15%.3
2. Student interventions in schools as part of the national sanitation campaign
a. The Engage ’14 outreach campaign was launched in January 2014 by the
GMC along with a firm of social entrepreneurs, 24hours Inspired, to start
explaining the process of waste management to students in primary and
secondary school.1 The program was conducted in three phases in 2014
and 2015. The first phase was an engagement quiz competition that
propagated the virtues of recycling and reusing waste. The second phase
involved panel discussions and essay writing competitions. The 3rd phase
involved more applied visits and ‘races for change’, some of these involved:
i. State campaign for college students across Sikkim to participate in
debate competitions on sanitation and solid waste. The objective
being to start the start the process of thinking about the dream for a
clean India.
ii. Money from Waste program where the state has encouraged
younger students to bring in art made out of waste to sell to other
2
(Bera, Gupta, & Jitendra, 2014)
3
(Sikkim Press, 2015)

5. 5
citizens in Gangtok with the objective of highlighting opportunities
for sustainable livelihoods through waste. Kanchenjunga Self Help
Group, Sudunglakha has created baskets, treys, dustbins, by
reusing the wastes. Youth Development of Sikkim (Calaphchand,
Rognli) has guided this process and the self-help group is selling
their products at various exhibitions.
iii. Inter-school slogan writing competition that the state government
provided a prize for the top 3 winners to inspire awareness of
sustainable sanitation.4
iv. Aho Shanti School in East District of Sikkim started zero waste
program on campus with students using biodegradable waste in
compose areas to produce organic manure in the gardens. Non-
biodegradable items are used to create art, decoration, and toys. In
South Sikkim, the Namthang Rateypani constituency also has
established a compost run center.5
The focus on imprinting youth and partnering with schools for creative and
sustainable ways to combat waste has seen a positive response across the state of
Sikkim. In the capital city, the GMC has been responsible for door to door
collection of waste and transporting but will be outsourcing these functions to
cooperative societies and local NGOs to establish a holistic approach to waste
segregation and recycling. The capital’s growth and ever expanding waste is also
another reason why more actors must be in play to continue toward sustainable
waste processes.6
Chandigarh
Chandigarh is a city in northern India that serves as the capital of Punjab and Haryana.
It is a union territory and directly governed by the Central Government and not part of
either state. Chandigarh shares the distinct title of being India’s only planned city and
has a population of around 1.1 million. The city’s waste management functions were
transferred to the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh (MCC), which was formed in
1994.7
Waste Management Process in Chandigarh
The process for collecting and disposing of waste in Chandigarh is collected in carts by
the safaiwalas during street sweeping. These workers are on contracts with the MCC to
perform door to door waste collection. Once they have collected the waste in carts, they
are deposited in the Sehaj Safai Kendras that are around the communities in
Chandigarh.8 The Sehaj Safai Kendras have been criticized by residents for being
4
(Cleaner Sikkim: 'Selfie with Garbage', 2015)
5
(Gazmwe, 2015)
6
(Sikkim Express, 2015)
7
(Ganguly, Gupta, & Rana, 2014)
8
(Chandigarh Master Plan 2031)

6. 6
unclean and not collection of garbage.9 The “Bin Free Collection” plan was instituted
after residents throwing waste outside of bins that were placed in different sectors of the
city. To alleviate the problem, the plan was instituted by the MCC by placing bins at
centralized locations and households arranged for the safaiwalas to collect waste door to
door. The waste is then dumped after segregation. The plan produced positive results
and was later handled by the Central Pollution Control Board.7
There currently exists no recycling or reusable provision for waste in Chandigarh. 7 A
public-private partnership was established between the MCC and the Jaypee Group that
created the Green Tech fuel processing plant. The plant converts waste into densely
packed pallets that are free of harmful substances. The waste is then dumped at the
landfill in DaduMajra which is a 45 acre open disposal site. The waste is dumped by a
multitude of vehicles and then treated with a solution (Effective Micro Organism
Solution or E.M.) which takes half a week to prepare.7 However, lost in this waste
management process is the lack of sustainability. Waste is consistently dumped and
there isn’t a large scale intervention to prevent the increase of waste in the landfill.
Also of concern is the topic of e-waste. The Union Territory (UT) Administration
launched an e-waste project in Chandigarh in 2012. The objective was to promote a
healthy environment and rid the city of hazardous materials. The project was able to
produce e-waste bins in over 10 areas of the city including at government buildings.10
However as of December 2015, the UT Administration has no reliable data on the
amount of e-waste generated with the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee planned
to conduct a survey and was also unable to partner with outside organizations willing to
quantify and present the data about e-waste.11
Possible Interventions
The UT Administration outlined its “Chandigarh Master Plan 2031” and the existing
process of solid waste management is seen as a problem.2 To overcome these problems,
the administration has proposed a decentralized method of waste management that
would open the process to outside organizations such as NGOs to assist the MCC in
establishing a cleaner Chandigarh.
1. The master plan outlines several methods of sustainable waste management and
policies that can reduce garbage in landfills. These are:
a. Mandating residential and commercial establishments to segregate
biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste and if possible to compost
biodegradable waste.
b. Forming coalitions with NGOs and Resident Welfare Associations
c. E-Waste support system by the MCC that is registered with e-waste
handling agencies.
d. Mandatory recycling plan for construction and demolition projects
9
(Nagarkoti, 2015)
10
(Kumar, 2015)
11
(Mahajan, 2014)

7. 7
i. If 20% of demolished structures can be reused (such as windows,
walls, floors), then incentives will be made.
ii. 4% of construction areas should be devoted to waste management.
2. Adopting best practices of other governments abroad. The government of
Denmark has been open to collaborating with the UT Administration on the
subject of Chandigarh’s master plan. With regards to waste, the following topics
were brought forward.
a. A waste to wealth program was launched by the UT Administration in
June 2015. The MCC and Copenhagen municipality are open for an
exchange of knowledge for how Denmark efficiently manages its
construction and solid waste.12
i. The department of science and technology along with the Center for
Environment Education (CEE), New Delhi installed the “Ecoman’s
Foodie” which uses special microorganisms to compost organic
waste which is reusable for growing plants.7
b. Eliminating residue waste at the garbage processing facility. Chandigarh
has 30% residue waste while in Denmark it is around 1%.
Based on the evidence outlined above, the existing process for waste management in
Chandigarh is not sustainable, a contrast from the smaller cities in Sikkim. The city has
also dropped in the rankings of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan since the start of the Prime
Minister’s campaign in October 2014. As the city continues to grow, it will need to
collaborate with other NGOs that aim for zero waste models that build sustainability.
There exists political will from the master plan for 2031 and the opportunity to continue
advocacy to change the minds of citizens.
Pune
Pune is the 2nd largest city in Maharashtra after the capital city Mumbai. It is the 9th
largest city in India with a population of over 3.1 million. The Pune Municipal
Corporation (PMC) is responsible for collection, storage, segregation, transportation
and disposal of all solid waste generated in the city.
Waste Management Process in Pune
The city of Pune generates about 1300 to 1400 metric tons of solid waste per day. The
majority of which comes from households (40%), hotels and restaurants (25%), and
other commercial establishments (25%).1 Waste is segregated and the PMC has
implemented the mandatory system of separating dry and wet waste. The PMC also only
collects segregated waste which has forced households to do the segregation themselves.
The PMC has also adopted a decentralized process where the municipality is not the
only actor that has a monopoly on the management of waste. About 500 metric tons of
waste is handled by NGOs, material vendors, and waste pickers.13 The transportation of
waste is done through the PMC’s own workers and vehicles (such as Ghanta trucks,
12
(Sharma, 2015)
13
(Dorik, Jaybhaye, & Mundhe, 2014)

8. 8
compactors, hotel trucks, dumper placer, and tractors) that collect from households and
locations around the city where containers are present.
The PMC disposes waste with the Effective Micro Organism (EM) method. This reduces
the harmful gasses and the polluted smell. With microbes digesting the matter, the
waste turns into high quality compost that is given to farmers. Wet waste is disposed
with vermi-compost and there exists a waste to energy program. The existing disposal
site is 20 kilometers away in Urali Devachi which is 165 acres.
Despite the decentralized policies that have integrated the informal sector, the PMC
faces enormous challenges. First, Door to door collection of waste through joint
cooperation has worked well in different parts of the city but it doesn’t cover the entire
city. There is a need for more agencies to collect waste from all households. Secondly,
Biogas plants haven’t produced the desired results in parts of the city after the protests
by residents in Urali Devachi and Phursungi for the dumping of waste from the city at
the disposal sites. Thirdly, there has been the closure of the large garbage processing
plant and other plants have closed due to financial losses. And lastly, there are no
methods for disposing construction waste which is now being dumped on roads and in
water all across the city.14
Sustainable Models
Despite the difficulties, there has been successful incorporation of the informal sector,
the private sector, and NGOs to build a decentralized approach to waste management.
There are two initiatives taken by the PMC in recent years that are sustainable measures
that can be replicated elsewhere should there be the political will to implement them.
These are:
1. Waste Picker Cooperation
a. The PMC has established a rapport with the waste pickers and created the
SWaCH model in 2007 with the waste picker trade union Kagad Kach
Patra Kashatakari. As part of their partnership, the PMC has financed
SWaCH’s administrative staff and provided the waste pickers with
uniforms, shoes, coats, brooms, and cycle rickshaws for the waste pickers
that are performing door to door collection. The waste pickers also are able
to retain dry waste and re-sell it for earnings. The waste picker collective
also receives monthly fees per household that uses the service. The waste
pickers will also compost waste for a fee to households. The decentralized
model for the PMC has been cost effective and sustainable for the
livelihoods of around 2,000 waste pickers who collect waste every day in
Pune.15
2. Zero Waste Model in Katraj
a. The project was facilitated by the NGO, Janwani, and funded by Cummins
India. The PMC implemented its solid waste program along with SWaCH.
The zero waste ward has resulted in 100% of households receiving door to
14
(Express News Service, 2015)
15
(Swachh Bharat: A Monthly Newsletter, 2015)

9. 9
door collection and 100% segregation of dry and wet waste at source
collection. Households and commercial properties were responsible for
segregating the waste which is the major selling point of the sustainability
of the model. The model enhances the profile of the waste pickers and
produced cleaner streets free of garbage. The implementation of the model
has also been selected to be replicated in other wards with Janwani and
the PMC facilitating and working with other stakeholders in the solid
waste management field.15
Bangalore
Bangalore is the largest city and capital of the state of Karnataka. It is the 3rd largest city
in India with a population over 8.4 million. Bangalore has also become the IT capital of
India which has led to large quantities of e-waste generation. The Bruhat Bengaluru
Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) through its Solid Waste Management Cell is responsible for
collection, storage, segregation, transportation and disposal of all solid waste generated
in the city.16
Waste Management Process in Bangalore
The city of Banglalore generates around 5,000 metric tons of solid waste per day.
Almost 40% of the waste is generated by railway stations, public instituions, restaurants,
malls, and hotels. The city has had door to door collection of waste in place since 2003.
However, about 70% of the waste collection has been outsourced to private contractors
with the rest of the collection done by the BBMP. In addition the city has four waste
processing plants that collect 1,000 metric tons of waste daily with the largest plant
being operated by the Karnataka Compost Development Corporation. There exists a
vermicomposting plant and a waste to energy plant. The BBMP operates an organic
waste converter and has established dry waste centers in all wards of the city.16
The city has been suffering from a crisis since 2012 as the landfills have caused
deteriorating environmental and health conditions at the nearby villages of Mavallipura
and Mandura. Private companies handling waste also stopped collection after claiming
the BBMP was not distributing payments. This caused a crisis of garbage on the streets
and in overflowed bins that were not collected for days or weeks. The High Court of
Karnataka ordered the closure of the Mavallipura landfill and for the BBMP to pursue
sustainable policies aimed at disposing waste and engineering landfills that do not pose
the health or environmental problems that would lead to civil unrest. The BBMP
proceeded to announce a new waste and recycle program to lower the burden on
landfills.17
Sustainable Initiatives
Bangalore has moved away from the centralized process of waste management. The new
process involved segregating waste at the source, moving away from dumping all waste
16
(National Institute of Urban Affairs, PEARL Initiative, 2015)
17
(Chakraberty, 2014)

10. 10
outside of the city, and pursuing processing or recyclable measures at the local ward
level. These initiatives include
1. Wake-Up Clean-Up Campaign of 2013
a. A week long expo in February 2013 brought together stakeholders of waste
management such as government agencies, NGOs, corporate houses, bulk
generators, solid waste experts, and general citizens. The expo was held by
the BBMP along with the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce
and Industry (FKCCI) and Bangalore City Connect Foundation (BCCF).
The expo focused on trainings on different sets of waste generators such as
restaurants, hospitality, residential, and corporations. Technology and
recycle services brought examples of their waste management strategies
and implementation at different scales. School children were also exposed
to the expo with the general citizen population. The expo was successful in
bring out commitments from various stakeholders.
i. The BBMP agreed to a zero waste program initiative in various
wards of the city and awareness drives through flyers and radio.
ii. Commitment from BBMP officials, resident welfare associations,
and NGOs in cleaning their own wards with cleaning drives and
locating land for waste processing facilities.18
2. ‘Kasa Muktha' Program
a. The BBMP launched the garbage free program in 2013 that is being
implemented in 22 wards of the city on a pilot basis. The program
emphasis two dustbins for each home to encourage the segregation of dry
and wet waste. The dry waste is transported to the dry waste centers in the
ward and the wet waste was sent to the KCDC plant operated by Organic
Waste India (OWI). Other wards have their wet waste collected by a
private company that specializes in wet waste management. Hospitals are
also targeted areas of separation of bio-medical waste and sanitary waste.
b. Awareness campaigns were performed to inform citizens of the
importance of segregating waste and the prospect of a Rs. 100 fine for not
segregating waste. Garbage workers have also been trained in waste
segregation in the 22 wards of the pilot program.
3. Registering and recognition of waste pickers
a. The BBMP registered waste pickers in 2012 and formally supplied them
with identification cards. This was the first recognition by city for the
informal sector workers who play an important role in recycling waste.
b. An international NGO, Global Communities, had piloted the waste
collection centers before the BBMP and also created the waste picker
association ‘Hasirudala’ or ‘Green Force’ in Kannada. The BBMP has
recognized the association of 7,000 members. The city has also decided
that members of these associations should be entrusted in managing the
dry waste collection centers.19
18
(National Institute of Urban Affairs, PEARL Initiative, 2015)
19
(Chakraberty, 2014)

11. 11
These initiatives for sustainability face threats from the powerful industrial lobby that
advocates for waste to energy programs. This means that the amount of metal, paper,
and plastic at dry waste centers would decrease and thus would threaten the livelihoods
of the waste pickers. The industrial lobby and politicians would open more
environmental issues such as the emission of greenhouse gases as well.
Conclusion
India’s urban population and economy are continuing to grow at paces that will
inevitably lead to more increases in waste. The four cases outlined in this report have
shown that there exists growing political will for the public sector to be open to
decentralized models of waste management that involve the informal sector and other
NGOs. Zero waste model implementation in concentrated areas of cities has yielded
positive results for sustainable management of waste. Additionally, the Clean India
Mission has created awareness about environmental issues that cities and states across
India have used to formulate policies to eliminate waste for the purposes of local pride
in achieving higher rankings in the campaign. However, the powerful industrial lobby
and the waste to energy plans that exist across the country further put into the question
of how zero waste models can be replicated. The NGO sector and the informal sector
should continue to advocate for the benefits of sustainable management so that the
public sector can work with producers to efficiently reduce waste while saving the
environment.

12. 12
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