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Kabaadiwallas not enough to fix India’s garbage problem, but this national project could be

The Ghazipur landfill in eastern Delhi | Photo: Manisha Mondal | ThePrint
The Ghazipur landfill in eastern Delhi | Photo: Manisha Mondal | ThePrint


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Imagine a situation in which an overwhelming portion of the city’s waste never goes to a landfill. Infact, not only would most of the garbage be recycled, people would actually willingly participate in such a programme! So how do we get there?

Well, what if people were paid – yes, paid – to segregate all their garbage for recycling?

Before I introduce the system to you, it would be good to see how some alternative solutions to our current waste-management problem are working on the ground.


Also read: How to invert India’s socioeconomic problems — New book discusses 8 ideas to transform nation


The Kabaadiwalla

You wouldn’t be surprised to know that almost all homes from poor one-room tenements to six-bedroom villas already practice some form of recycling. Most Indians engage with this system through their kabaadiwalla. A man comes around once a month, collects old newspapers and magazines that have been piling up, and pays householders to take them off their hands. Irrespective of kabaadiwalla. The going rate is about Rs 5 – Rs 6 per kilo. The kabaadiwalla sells these papers to small businesses who either recycle it into pulp or use it to make products such as paper plates or paper bags.

But paper is far from the only waste that can be recycled. Organic waste from them. Unfortunately, not all of these get picked up or disposed of in a manner that will ensure they reach a recycler.


Also read: Contaminated waste — the epidemic the world is struggling with thanks to Covid-19

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