Mainstreaming Informal sector in Municipal Solid Waste Management in Ludhiana, Punjab

Abstract

Municipal Solid Waste Management has become a critical challenge in urban India. Increasing per-capita income and disproportionate population increase has strained the carrying capacity of land and infrastructure. Municipal Corporations continue to be incapacitated due to administrative, financial and human resource constraints. Mainstreaming informal waste collectors/ waste pickers into the formal chain of collection, transportation, treatment, recovery and disposal of the Municipal Solid Waste can help to institutionalize a sustainable model of Municipal Solid Waste Management and inclusive urban growth. Such policy will also be constructive in environmental conservation through effective implementation of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 with respect to at source waste segregation and decentralized waste disposal.