Solid Waste Management: “India is waking up to meet the challenge of managing its solid waste, and that too, proactively. And the biggest evidence and demonstration of this awakening and transformation is visible in many of our cities. We have gathered here today to acknowledge and celebrate this transformation,” said Sunita Narain, director general, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), here today.
She added: “This Changemakers’ Conclave is not just a platform – it is a celebration of learning, innovation and the belief that change is possible.”
Narain was speaking at a national meet – christened ‘The Changemakers’ Conclave’ – which CSE had organised to bring together over 100 municipal officials and authorities and representatives from many other organisations to discuss how cities and agencies are managing their solid waste, and to felicitate some who are doing it really well.
In 2021, India launched the second leg of its flagship programme, the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) 2.0, billed as the world’s largest sanitation drive. CSE has partnered with the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (which oversees SBM 2.0) to build capacities of all stakeholders for strengthening the Mission’s implementation on the ground. Under this partnership, officials from over 450 urban local bodies and 39 non-government entities have undergone intensive residential training in CSE’s green campus, the Anil Agarwal Environment Training Institute (AAETI).
Many of these trainees have been able to implement the learnings in their respective fields and zones – the Changemakers’ Conclave has brought them together to share these experiences of implementation.
Besides Narain, participants at the Conclave were addressed by Roopa Mishra, joint secretary and national mission director, SBM, Union Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs; Angela Lusigi, resident representative, UNDP India; Dr Balakrishna Pisupati, country head, UNEP India; and a host of other experts and senior municipal officials from all over the country.
Speaking at the Conclave, Roopa Mishra said: “Swachh Bharat Mission 2.0 is not merely a government initiative. It is a people-driven movement. The Mission has maintained its momentum for over a decade, driven by seamless collaboration between cities, states and other stakeholders and partners, showcasing a unified effort towards a cleaner and healthier India.”
Atin Biswas, programme director, solid waste management and circular economy unit, CSE says: “The best way to bring about change is to learn, and to apply that learning judiciously. SBM 2.0 has paved the way for India’s urban managers — local governments, civil society, industry partners, etc — to equip themselves with the capacity to understand and implement the nuances of circular economy in managing solid waste in an environmentally sustainable and financially viable manner. What CSE has done is to help build that capacity through its specially designed and curated training programmes.”
A booklet titled Change Is Possible was released on the occasion. The booklet offers brief profiles of all the Changemakers, focusing on the waste management initiatives that they have championed in their respective municipalities, cities or spheres of work. These range from implementing waste segregation at source, door-to-door collection of segregated waste, and running communication, awareness-building and behavior-change campaigns to investing in waste management infrastructure such as material recovery facilities and implementing steps to ensure financial viability of waste management processes.
Says Siddharth G Singh, programme manager, solid waste management and circular economy unit, CSE: “In the course of our trainings and discussions, we have found that solutions must be tailored to local contexts, ensuring that innovative technologies, citizen engagement and resource optimisation can work in harmony to create cleaner, healthier urban spaces.”
In her address, Narain said that “waste is not just waste, but a resource. The voice of the poor has empowered us to rethink and rebuild inclusive waste management policies such as SBM. Action dies when a policy stops evolving – SBM thrives because it learns, evolves and adapts.”
