Finding New Purpose in What We Discard

Key Highlights:

• Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), launched in 2014, has evolved to include waste management and the Waste to Wealth concept.
• Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS), an annual campaign since 2017, now focuses on plastic waste, visual cleanliness, and garbage-free public spaces.
• Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban 2.0 encourages source segregation, waste processing, and value recovery from waste.
• Examples include home composting, water hyacinth handicrafts under Assam State Rural Livelihoods Mission, and coconut waste processing in Patna.
• Waste to Wonder Parks in cities like Chandigarh and Delhi repurpose discarded materials into public spaces and attractions.

Detailed Insights:

• The Waste to Wealth approach treats discarded material as a resource for recovery, reuse, and conversion into value.
• It aligns with circularity, resource efficiency, and sustainable waste management principles.
• Individual efforts in home composting, like those in Vijayawada and Chandigarh, demonstrate citizen participation in waste management.
• Swachh Badi in Siddipet, Telangana, is a dedicated learning centre for practical waste management, with plans for 141 similar centres.
• Women in Borchila village, Assam, transform invasive water hyacinth into handicrafts, generating livelihoods of at least ₹10,000 monthly.
• Patna's coconut waste processing facility converts 25-30 metric tonnes daily into organic compost, coir ropes, and cocopeat.
• Delhi's Waste to Wonder Park integrates 50 KW solar capacity, demonstrating productive use of waste and renewable energy.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM): A nationwide campaign launched by the Government of India in 2014 to eliminate open defecation and improve solid waste management.
• Waste to Wealth: An approach that views discarded materials as valuable resources that can be recovered, reused, and converted into new products or energy.
• Circular Economy: An economic system aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources, promoting reuse, repair, and recycling.
• Source Segregation: The practice of separating different types of waste at the point of generation to facilitate recycling and processing.