Sulagna Roy, Pankaj R Kaushik, Pradeep Sangwan, Sunil Herat
{"title":"Effectiveness of NGOs in mountainous solid waste management: A case study from Healing Himalayas in Rakchham, Himachal Pradesh, India.","authors":"Sulagna Roy, Pankaj R Kaushik, Pradeep Sangwan, Sunil Herat","doi":"10.1177/0734242X241262000","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) play a critical role in addressing solid waste management (SWM) challenges in remote mountain communities, including the ecologically fragile Himalayan region. This study evaluates the impact of Healing Himalayas, an NGO, in Rakchham village, Himachal Pradesh, India. The objectives were to evaluate the effectiveness of Healing Himalayas' decentralized SWM model in promoting stakeholder engagement and resource recovery, assess the role of collaborations between local authorities and the NGO in financing waste management practices, investigate the influence of tourism and seasonal variations on solid waste generation patterns and waste management practices in Rakchham, and material recovery facilities, followed by glass (36.7%), paper/cardboard (18.4%) and metal (4.1%). A fee-based system involving the local village council funded waste operations. Waste generation exhibited significant seasonal fluctuations, with tourism influxes driving increased volumes. Healing Himalayas' initiatives promoted community participation, with over 15 awareness workshops conducted. Key challenges included limited financial resources, inadequate infrastructure, lack of advanced treatment facilities and need for context-specific solutions like efficient wet waste management in cold climates. The study highlights Healing Himalayas' decentralized model's success in fostering stakeholder engagement, behavioural change and resource recovery. The findings inform effective strategies for NGO-led waste management initiatives tailored to remote Himalayan communities.</p>","PeriodicalId":23671,"journal":{"name":"Waste Management & Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11447982/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Waste Management & Research","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X241262000","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/7/28 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) play a critical role in addressing solid waste management (SWM) challenges in remote mountain communities, including the ecologically fragile Himalayan region. This study evaluates the impact of Healing Himalayas, an NGO, in Rakchham village, Himachal Pradesh, India. The objectives were to evaluate the effectiveness of Healing Himalayas' decentralized SWM model in promoting stakeholder engagement and resource recovery, assess the role of collaborations between local authorities and the NGO in financing waste management practices, investigate the influence of tourism and seasonal variations on solid waste generation patterns and waste management practices in Rakchham, and material recovery facilities, followed by glass (36.7%), paper/cardboard (18.4%) and metal (4.1%). A fee-based system involving the local village council funded waste operations. Waste generation exhibited significant seasonal fluctuations, with tourism influxes driving increased volumes. Healing Himalayas' initiatives promoted community participation, with over 15 awareness workshops conducted. Key challenges included limited financial resources, inadequate infrastructure, lack of advanced treatment facilities and need for context-specific solutions like efficient wet waste management in cold climates. The study highlights Healing Himalayas' decentralized model's success in fostering stakeholder engagement, behavioural change and resource recovery. The findings inform effective strategies for NGO-led waste management initiatives tailored to remote Himalayan communities.
期刊介绍:
Waste Management & Research (WM&R) publishes peer-reviewed articles relating to both the theory and practice of waste management and research. Published on behalf of the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) topics include: wastes (focus on solids), processes and technologies, management systems and tools, and policy and regulatory frameworks, sustainable waste management designs, operations, policies or practices.