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Infrastructure
Why Is Infrastructure Important
Why Is Infrastructure Important
What We Did
Best Practices From Across India
What We Learnt
Why Is Infrastructure Important
Infrastructure is the backbone of an effective waste management system. It ensures that waste generated is not only collected efficiently but also processed in a way that maximizes reuse, recovery and recycling.
At its core, robust infrastructure means having the right systems, technologies, and partnerships to handle the complexity of waste management.
This includes infrastructure at source for segregation, efficient transportation systems, material recovery facilities, and linkages with appropriate recyclers. Dedicated public spaces for waste management infrastructure are critical to bring these processes into the public domain, demonstrating to citizens how waste can be economically processed and transformed into resources. Such spaces, when strategically integrated into urban areas, foster transparency and awareness, shifting waste management from a hidden issue to one that engages public participation and accountability.
Evidence has increasingly shown that MRFs are essential components of an integrated waste management system in urban settings, designed to extract valuable recyclables from municipal solid waste. Leveraging advanced technology and the involvement of Safai Mitras and informal communities,MRFs process a wide range of dry waste across the value chain, preparing it to be shipped to different recyclers as raw material.
Strategically placing these facilities in public spaces fosters transparency and awareness, transforming waste management from a hidden issue into one that actively engages citizens. Visible infrastructure helps citizens understand how waste is processed into resources, reinforcing their participation and trust in the system.
What we did – Inclusive models with UNDP India and Xynteo
In partnership with local municipalities, social enterprises, non- profits, and recyclers, we created a public-private-partnership model – with an objective to set-up end-to-end, financially viable and decentralized material recovery facilities that are inclusive and community-led.
In our model, aligning with government of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission guidelines, we set-up MRFs based on three key considerations:
Location
MRFs needed to be embedded within communities, reducing logistical costs and allowing Safai Mitras to engage directly with the facility. By decentralizing the MRFs, we ensured an efficient collection and reduced contamination risks in transport.
Size and Scalability
Each MRF was designed to match the population it served, with a scalable framework that allowed for future expansion as waste generation increased. This not only catered to immediate needs but ensured the system could grow with the community.
Purposeful Design
Our focus was to strike a balance between automation and creating livelihood opportunities. Automation was integrated thoughtfully, reserved for high-volume or hazardous tasks that required speed and precision. However, manual processes were retained where human expertise, such as sorting and quality control, added significant value. This enhanced overall productivity while ensuring that Safai Mitras and other informal workers remained integral to operations. By blending technology (like conveyor lines, shredders and bale press) with human skills, we were able to create efficient and inclusive facilities. Additionally, we designed the MRFs to be adaptable – capable of handling various types of waste while allowing for future expansion as waste volumes increased and community needs evolved.
To operationalize the MRFs, we placed key focus on waste inflow and outflow.
Streamlining formal waste collection.
We worked closely with local municipal systems to align waste collection from established formal channels with the MRFs. In a few cases, collection trucks were deployed to collect directly from households, to complement municipal systems. This created a flow of waste, ensuring that the collected dry waste could be processed efficiently and at scale at the MRF. In addition, channels were established for wet waste to compost or waste-to-biogas plants, thereby creating a circular system for organic waste to come back into resource use.
Integrating the informal systems.
Safai Mitras were formally integrated into the system, allowing them to collect and sell waste at fair market prices. This was key in bridging the gap between the informal and formal sectors, ensuring that valuable waste streams made it into the MRFs.
Connecting with recyclers.
We established strong partnerships with recyclers and processors to ensure that waste coming into the MRF had definite offtake secured. By building these connections, we aligned the entire waste flow – from households to recycling facilities – creating a streamlined value chain. This integration across the system maximized recycling efficiency and increased the volume of materials diverted from landfills.
We also prioritized workplace safety for all workers, particularly the Safai Mitras employed at the MRFs. Each facility was designed to meet Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) standards, ensuring the provision of protective gear, comprehensive safety training, proper ventilation, and ergonomic workstations. This minimized risks and created a secure, healthy working environment for all staff at the MRFs.
With the infrastructure and operations in place, we learned that even with the system for waste collection in place, a significant challenge remained: the quality of waste entering the MRFs.
We found that much of the incoming waste was low-value, contaminated, and mixed, making it difficult to salvage for recycling. The high-value waste (such as PET and HDPE) often bypassed formal systems and was sold to informal aggregators. To address this, we:
Worked on improving the quality waste through behavior change campaigns.
We realized that improving the quality of waste at the source was crucial. We launched targeted behavior change campaigns to encourage better waste segregation at the household level in areas where waste was coming from. This helped improve the quality of waste coming into the MRFs.
Subsidized collection and processing costs.
For financial viability, we implemented a cross-subsidization model. The MRFs purchased high-value waste from informal aggregators at fair market prices. Using this revenue, we subsidized the collection and processing of low-value waste, such as soft plastics and multi layer plastics (MLPs).
We understood that stabilizing the MRFs would take time, typically 12-18 months. During this period, viability gap funding – supported by CSR initiatives and public-private partnerships – was essential to cover operational costs and maintain the working capital needed to keep the system running. Once the facilities stabilized with good quality and quantity of waste, they reached financial viability.
The Model Solved for 3 Key Things
It added value to the waste coming out of households.
For waste to be effectively recycled, even segregated dry waste needs further processing, such as sorting, cleaning, and baling, to prepare it for the right kind of recycling. Our decentralized MRFs enabled segregation and processing of waste to ensure that waste could meet the specific requirements of different recyclers, thus streamlining the waste for the most appropriate recycling pathways.
It created a robust supply chain for waste feedstock for recyclers.
One of the major bottlenecks in the recycling sector in India has been the inconsistent supply of waste feedstock. Even as the sector matures, it has struggled with a lack of reliable, high- quality, and quantity specific waste streams. Categorizing waste into different categories and aggregating it at the MRFs and consistently aligning the recyclers helped in faster inventory turnover at the MRFs. This created a reliable and consistent supply of high-quality feedstock for recyclers, unlocking greater recycling potential across multiple waste categories.
It increased the flow of waste into the recycling ecosystem.
By setting up decentralized MRFs closer to waste generators, we reduced logistical costs and the risk of contamination from handling. The closer proximity allowed for more efficient collection and transportation, making the recycling process more economical and scalable. This, in turn, resulted in a greater volume of waste entering the recycling ecosystem, diverting more materials from landfills and ensuring they are recycled effectively.
Our Impact So Far
Best Practices From The Ecosystem
Case Study
Saahas Zero Waste
Context
Saahas Zero Waste (SZW), a Bengaluru based waste management company is tackling India’s urban waste challenge through innovative, decentralized waste management solutions. With growing urban populations, millions of tonnes of waste are generated daily, requiring urgent circular economy interventions. SZW focuses on creating circular economy solutions that emphasize waste reduction, recycling, and on-site processing directly at the source.
Innovation
Their flagship service – the Zero Waste Program, is a unique on-site and off-site model providing holistic decentralized waste management solutions for corporates, bulk waste generators, and governments.
Their end-to-end model collects and manages both wet and dry waste streams, offering solutions through a complete system of collection, primary on-site processing and transport of the processed waste to an appropriate end destination or a bio-CNG plant, while segregated dry waste is sent to MRFs for further sorting. Their approach goes beyond typical decentralized models and ensures zero-waste in regions they work in, ensuring maximum waste is diverted from landfills. Currently, SZW converts up to 80% of the waste collected into recycled products and 95% including energy recovery. One of their major innovations is the integration of technology for realtime tracking and monitoring through its SaaS-based Management Information System (MIS).
MIS enables organization-wide transparency and accountability by tracking the flow of waste from collection through processing and resource recovery. This traceability enhances the system by bringing real-time transparency and accountability to 95% of the total waste generated. This represents a significant breakthrough for both improving operational efficiency and ensuring accurate, data-driven compliance with waste management standards.
Key Takeaways
End-to-end waste handling of both wet and dry waste
On-site composting and decentralized MRFs to reduce landfill dependency
Tech-enabled traceability through real-time waste tracking
End-to-end waste handling of both wet and dry waste
On-site composting and decentralized MRFs to reduce landfill dependency
Tech-enabled traceability through real-time waste tracking
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Lessons Learnt
Decentralized infrastructure as a solution to municipal waste challenges.
Beyond simply processing recyclables, MRFs are pivotal in addressing the larger problem of municipal waste. They help manage the vast waste volumes generated by cities, reducing the pressure on central landfills. A decentralized MRF model promotes localized solutions, demonstrating to the public the economic and environmental benefits of systematic waste segregation and processing at the community level.
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