Waste pickers have been at the heart of India's waste systems for many years, but their role has been barely acknowledged by any system. They have been going around cities and towns collecting, sorting, and diverting recyclable materials from the waste stream, usually in unsafe conditions, and without any formal recognition.
In January 2017, I joined CAG, specifically to work on solid waste management (SWM) projects. I started with the Mapping Waste Trails project, which aims to gain a better understanding of the lives of the informal waste pickers engaged in waste recycling in Chennai. Furthermore, we will be tracking the movements of certain recyclables, to ascertain the routes by which such materials traverse the city-scape, and the value added within each step in the routes.
In January 2017, I joined CAG, where part of my work focuses on their solid waste management (SWM) projects. I started with the Mapping Waste Trails project, which aims to gain a better understanding of the lives of the informal waste pickers engaged in waste recycling in Chennai. Furthermore, we will be tracking the movements of certain recyclables, to ascertain the routes by which such materials traverse the city-scape, and the value added within each step in the routes.
A letter to the Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change with a list of suggestions from the members of Alliance of Indian Waste-pickers for additions to the draft SWM Rules with respect to recognition and integration of informal waste-pickers and waste recyclers
A general report on the ID card camps organized by the CoC in Perungudi and Kodungaiyur with support from CAG and its partner organizations to register the waste pickers and issue them occupational ID cards
Flier designed by CAG to advertise the ID card camps held for waste pickers in Chennai at Perungudi in July 2015 by the Corporation of Chennai with support from CAG
Flier designed by CAG to advertise the ID card camps held for waste pickers in Chennai at Kodungaiyur in July 2015 by the Corporation of Chennai with support from CAG
Survey form for a socio-economic survey in Chennai administered by CBO partners of the Initiative on Waste, Informal Workers and Chennai's Future in 2015 (April-July)
Survey form for a socio-economic survey in Chennai administered by CBO partners of the Initiative on Waste, Informal Workers and Chennai's Future in 2015 (April-July)
Press Release on the ID card camps for waste pickers held at Kodungaiyur and Perungudi by the Corporation of Chennai with CAG's support in July 2015. A Transparent Cities Network activity supporting the Initiative on Waste, Informal Workers and Chennai's Future.