The document discusses women waste pickers in Kerala and their empowerment through organizing as "Green Technicians" or Haritha Karma Sena. It outlines how the Haritha Karma Sena collect waste door-to-door and operate sustainable businesses while being supported by the local government and communities. Case studies show groups in Vadakara and Kochi municipalities that effectively manage waste collection for over 85% of households and 70% of commercial establishments. They earn a monthly income of around Rs. 15,000 each through waste management services and green businesses like agriculture, repair shops, and event management. The mobile app Haritha Mithram aims to further professionalize and monitor the services of the Haritha Karma Sena.

1. “Women in Waste
Management Industry
& Kerala's Green
Technicians :
An Empowerment
Perspective"

2. Empowerment & Women Waste Pickers;
An Introduction
• Empowerment can be understood as the expansion in people’s
ability to make strategic life choices in a context where this ability
was previously denied to them ( Bartlett, 2004)
• Dimensions: “power within”, “power to”, “power over” and “power
with”
• In addition to gender, the identity of waste pickers intersects with
other excluded social identities; caste, class, labour
• Organizing women waste pickers and providing them the support of
government and civil society organization can be an effective way of
empowerment
• Different types of organizing / formalizing waste pickers: micro
enterprises, cooperatives and public-private partnership
• Though minimum, Indian case studies do exists; To cite a few-
SWaCH Pune Seva Sahakari Sanstha- Pune and Haritha Karma Sena-
Kerala

3. Restructuring of Solid Waste
Management System in Kerala
• Strong mechanism established to promote waste
management principles; “Reduce, Reuse and
Recycle” since 2015
• Systematic waste management efforts at state level in
all local bodies in Kerala
• Haritha Kerala Mission established under Nava
Kerala Mission and suchitwa mission to
continuously support the local bodies
• Dedicated campaigns and programmes started to
achieve the target of “zero waste Kerala”
• Promotion of recycled and reused products –Swap
shops, repair shops etc

4. Kerala Model- Waste Management System
Waste
Biodegradable
Source level
waste
management
practices
Community level
waste management
practices
Non-Bio-degradable
Door to Door
Waste Collection –
Haritha Karma
Sena
Material Collection
Facility (MCF)
Resource Recovery Facility (
RRF)
Recycling
Rag Pickers

5. Green Technicians(Haritha Karma Sena) for
Door to Door waste Collection; A Social
Entrepreneurship Model
• Waste collection system restructured with the presence of “Haritha Karma Sena”-
green technicians and “Haritha Sahaya Sthapanam “ as an entrepreneurship based
waste management system
• Haritha Karma sena – preferably kudumbashree members for waste collection in all
local bodies . Over the years grown as a strong social institution for waste
management
• Haritha Karma Sena collects user fee from households and commercial
establishments- local body ensure fee collection and support to Haritha karma
sena wherever needed. Provision of viability gap fund to ensure sustainability of
Haritha Karma Sena.
• Waste collected by Haritha Karma Sena transported to the nearby Material
Collection facility and from there to cluster based Resource Recovery Facility –
Bailing, Shredding, Road tarring, Recycling
• State’s role limited to a “facilitator”
• Green/ Eco friendly business initiatives to ensure economic sustainability

6. Supportive Systems at Work; Ensuring
Empowerment & Social Inclusion
• Strong campaign activities and resourceful tailored training to Haritha
Karma Sena
• Local body level Comprehensive Waste Management Plan developed with
the support of Haritha Sahaya Sthapanam
• Systems to ensure user fee collection- user fee calculated considering social
demographic factors- subsidy to BPL households
• Strong governance procedures and legal enforcements and technical
support from Suchitwa Mission and Haritha Kerala Mission
• Infrastructure provided by local body
• Support from local body to ensure economic sustainability and social
acceptance
• Proper monitoring of functioning of Haritha Karma sena and waste
management activities A study/analysis of nature and quantity of waste in
all local bodies across state
• Promotion of Green protocol in different levels- households, public functions,
offices

7. Supportive Green Business Practices of
Green Technicians (Haritha Karma Sena )
• Swap shop: Concept designed to promote the “reuse”. Aims in
building public system to facilitate the exchange of reusable goods
for the benefit of others
• Repair Shop: Managing shops which facilitate the repairing
of goods – demotivate throwing away lifestyle
• Eco Friendly Products- Business promoting value added
products from waste- purse/ toys/ cloth bags from textile
waste is an example. St. Theresa’s college in Cochin city has
a club which is engaged in this and they train Haritha karma
sena members also for the same
• Agricultural Products: Sells seedlings, plants etc
• Green –Event Management Units- Engaging in eco-friendly
event management practise –promoting green protocol in
public functions

8. Supportive Green Business Practices of
Green Technicians (Haritha Karma Sena )

9. Information Education and Awareness
Programmes and Capacity Building
Initiatives
• Campaigns with strong monitoring mechanism- community sensitisation prior
to Haritha Karma Sena Formation – Social Acceptance and change in community
attitude towards waste
• Handholding capacity building programme to Haritha Karma Sena – Waste
Management State Approach, Waste management programmes and practices,
resource recovery practices, handholding training with practical operation tips
on waste management, office management, accounting and book keeping,
additional income generation opportunities( inoculum production and other
green practices)
• Waste Survey with participation of Haritha Karma Sena Members- nature and
quantity of waste in different setting , documenting existing practices,
identifying needs
• Capacity building to other stakeholders- elected representatives and local body
official
• Refresher training : Haritha Karma Sena and local body ( elected representatives
and officials) with support from Kerala Institute of Local Administration
(KILA)
• Community Sensitization campaigns as an integral component of waste
management programmes
• Capacity Development Needs Identification (ongoing) with support of KILA

10. Status of Green Technicians (Haritha
Karma Sena) in local bodies
Nature of Local
Body
Required Number of
Haritha Karma Sena
Units
Functioning
Number of
Haritha Karma
Sena Units
Coverage %
Grama
Panchayats
941 924 98.19
Municipalities 87 86 98.85
Corporations 6 6 100
Total Local Self
Government
Institutions
1034 1016 98.25
Source: https://sanitation.kerala.gov.in/haritha-karma-sena-details/
( Report of Suchitwa Mission as on 30.7.2022)

11. Hariyali, Vadakara Municipality, Calicut -Case study 1
• Professionally managed social entrepreneurship initiative
of women under Vatakara Municipality Started
functioning in january 2018 - 90 members
• Professional management of services with well established
team and own website
https://hariyalivatakara.com/index.html
• Effective waste management plan with community policing
system and legal enforcement
• Key Waste Management Services: door to door waste
collection, segregation, promoting of re use ,repair and
upcycling of various products , campaign against single
time use materials and other green practices, repairing of
solid waste management equipment
• Agriculture practices: Agriculture farming, fish farming,
rain water harvesting techniques
• Self sustained micro enterprise initiatives- The Only group
which received Micro enterprise loan from Kerala Women
Development Corporation -9 units
• Other key services include waste management consultancy,
green technology centre, swap shop, repair shop and rent
shop

12. Hariyali, Vadakara Municipality, Calicut -Case
study 1 – Key Impacts/ Learnings
• Evidence for women driven social change
• Evident transformation in the quality of life- monthly
income of 15000/ per member
• Support of different social security measures
• Good linkage with public institutions in the locality
• Evident skill development among members;
communication skills and management ( monthly
presentation , review, able to address media)
• Household -85% coverage and 70% coverage among
commercial establishments
• Key success drivers; handholding support from local
body and technical experts, professional management
and greater social commitment
we are
confident of our
capacity and we
can do more .

13. Chottanikara; An Urban Agglomeration of Kochi
City- Case study 2
• Well managed women group with 28 members – earning
10000 per member
• Households with 79.97% coverage and commercial
establishments with 67%
• Professional management of services- proper receipt, user
fees deposited in account , prior communication to
households over watsapp group
• Primary segregation at household itself before household
members
• Acceptable non bio degredable categorizes into two –
useful and multi layer
• Additional income from service provider for valuable
one’s
• Strong legal enforcement system
• Greater Support of administration and elected
representatives for user fee collection
• 3 green micro enterprise initaitves for
additional icnome
We enjoy a great social
acceptance. We no more
collect wastes. We collect
only plastics and that is
our livelihood

14. Chottanikara; An Urban
Agglomeration of Kochi City- Case
study 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6rGnySsSgI

15. Technology Innovation: Haritha Mithram Mobile
App ( pilot phase)
• An attempt to professionalize the service of green technicians ; Pilot
implementation in process; mobile app and web portal
• Customer mode: schedules, grievances, special services, subscription, MCF/
RRT locations, incidents, service history
• Green Technicians : enrolment history, service history, arrangements, support/
services, payments, bug report, complaints
• Government and local body officials can also use for monitoring
• Support green technicians by providing data on service requests, and also
completed ones, payment details, services availed beneficiary details,
complaints and specific service requests, income consistency and social
acceptance
• Data availability on waste collection, monitor complaints , mapping of services,
follow up of grievences, ensure coverage and proper payment of user fees
• Public can report legal enforcement issues, customers can choose services as per
convenience and preferred timings

16. Technology Innovation: Haritha Mithram Mobile
Application ( pilot phase)
• Harithamitram URL:
https://portal.harithamithram.suchitwamission.com/#/

17. Challenges Faced
• Social acceptance for Haritha Karma sena; still we have not achieved 100 %
coverage, expected to increase with newly launched mobile app-issues with
user fee collection
• More sensitisation needed to community on being responsible for waste
• Challenging in border sharing areas; socio political and cultural issues
• Recent socio-demographic changes- high rate of migration
• Kerala as a state with its distinctive rural –urban continuum characteristics-
cannot favour bin , but community sensitisation needs to be carried out with a
higher level efforts
• Rural area, not much valuable products in waste collected – limits the scope of
additional income for green technicians. In urban areas, more valuable
products and hence income scope. But identifying land is a constraint.
• Rural areas- houses are scattered and it pose challenge to carry forward as an
economic activity
• More awareness needs to be carried out among public and elected
representatives ( Increasing political will)
• Taking actions for legal enforcement issues

18. Some Useful Resources
• National Webinar Series: Local Governments for Sustainable Development - Good Practices from Kerala
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0Nwur-ZF9Q
• Organic Waste Management and the Local Self Governments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgeEGSVaTvY
• Suchitwa Mission: http://sanitation.kerala.gov.in/
• Haritha Kerala Mission: https://haritham.kerala.gov.in/homepage/
Some other useful Videos
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4ux1njOexQ
• https://www.etvbharat.com/english/national/state/kerala/haritha-karma-sena-forty-women-resolve-to-turn-
perniad-plastic-free/na20191230081423742
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PrjYfG_XkA
• https://www.youtube.com/c/SUCHITWAMISSIONKERALA
• https://youtu.be/q6MAje0duRY
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8l0zNTQB9Fk
• https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/kozhikode/hariyali-sets-a-remarkable-model-in-waste-
management/article34298229.ece

19. Doubts &
Clarifications Feel Free !!

20. References/ Image Credits
• Bartlett, A. (2004). entry points for empowerment a report by Andrew Bartlett for CARE
Bangladesh June 2004. [online] Available at:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/57a08cd4ed915d622c0015eb/CARE.pdf.
• Martin, M. (2008). The Informal recycling Sector in Developing Countries : Organizing
Waste Pickers to Enhance their Impact. [online] Available at:
https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/10586
• Neriamparampil, C.C. (2018). Zero Waste Kerala: An Innovative Model for Waste
Management in India. Rajagiri Journal of Social Development, [online] 10(2), pp.65–76.
Available at: http://journals.rajagiri.edu/index.php/rssJ/article/view/360.
• Suchitwa Mission. (n.d). Swap Shops, http://sanitation.kerala.gov.in/wp-content/up-
loads/2017/10/SWAP-shops.pdf
• Suchitwa Mission. (n.d) How WE DID IT ! The Story of Green Protocol.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3PZS2umBsy8QWZUdkI5QlNSWEE/view
• Suchitwa Mission .(2017). Government of Kerala, Government Order
No.2420/2017.Retrieved fromhttp://sanitation.kerala.gov.in/wp-
content/uploads/2017/07/HKM-_WM_Guidelines.pdf

21. References/ Image Credits
• https://i.ytimg.com/vi/AMZ-2NUp9Ps/hqdefault.jpg
• https://sanitation.kerala.gov.in/documents/
• https://sanitation.kerala.gov.in/2018/06/14/chittur-thathamangalam-
municipality-bought-vehicle-for-haritha-karma-sena-activities/
• http://www.wunrn.org/news/2007/09_07/09_24_07/093007_women.htm

22. Further Contact:
caroline.msw@gmail.com
Special Thanks to:
Suchitwa Mission & Haritha Kerala Mission,
Government of Kerala
(Accessing IEC materials & technical resources)