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When the National Green Tribunal (NGT) recently recommended that India's waste crisis be dealt with in "mission mode", it did not merely put forward a new slogan for the public to latch on to. Rather, it was, in a sense, issuing a warning. India produces over 1.6 lakh tonnes of municipal solid waste every day, more than 60 million tonnes yearly, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Walk through almost any street, beach, or market in Chennai and one thing is immediately visible: informal vendors. Tea carts at junctions, snack stalls near beaches, breakfast pushcarts in residential lanes, flower vendors outside temples, fish sellers near coastal stretches; they are woven into the fabric of daily city life, contributing to local economies and serving thousands of people every day.

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I remember one of my first attempts to “bring change home.” It was 2019, and I had just started my current job as a researcher in solid waste management issues. Full of enthusiasm, I rushed into my mother’s humid kitchen where she was peeling vegetables. I asked her to separate waste into three bins: red, blue, and green. She looked at me, confused, and asked, “What?” For many people in North Chennai back then, segregation was an unfamiliar idea.

Every morning, cities wake up with the burden of unsegregated waste and the dumpsites that are running out of space. Not only in India, but across the world, solid waste management continues to pose systemic challenges for urban governance, particularly in rapidly growing cities. Overproduction, poor collection systems, source segregation, burning waste, and overflowing dumpsites affect both the environment and public health.

India is undergoing a major phase of construction-led development that is rapidly reshaping its urban and semi-urban landscapes. Metro rail networks, national highways, commercial office spaces, housing complexes, and smart city infrastructures are rising at a pace unmatched in the past. While this transformation reflects economic growth and modernisation, it has also resulted in an escalating environmental concern: construction and demolition (C&D) waste.

At first light, a wetland begins to stir. Mist rises from its still waters, frogs croak in the reeds, herons take flight, and insects hum in the undergrowth. Beneath this quiet surface lies a complex web of roots, microbes, nutrients, and water flows, a living system that regulates water, nurtures biodiversity, and stabilises the climate.

Every morning, as we open our doors, we see the legacy of our consumption. Plastic bags flutter across streets, garbage bins overflow, and the smell of decaying organic waste lingers in the air. These visible signs of waste are only part of the story. The more invisible scars of dump yards, open dumps, and harmful emissions remind us that waste is everywhere.

Used mobile phone back cases are scattered around the market | CAG