Managing Waste to Improve Communities

BY TREVOR L. JOCKIMS

the city of Alibag in Maharashtra, where she worked on an intervention. The local body had invested in a biogas plant with a capacity of processing up to 3 tons of waste per day. However, without collection systems to deliver 3 tons of organic waste every day, the plant was shut down.

It is precisely such situations that EcoSattva seeks to address. It aims to recover maximum possible resources from source-segregated dry waste that municipal collection systems can then deliver to recycling facilities.

Mirashi hopes more people will use the process, which would help residents and city administrators understand the value of a Material Recovery Facility to the city. Each facility manages 2 tons of waste, including items like clothes, cardboard, paper, glass, mixed plastics, even slippers. “This center not only manages waste but also helps spread awareness about waste reduction,” Mirashi adds.

Making an impact

In the span of EcoSattva’s seven-year journey, it has generated 2,500 jobs, mostly in solid waste manage- ment. Beyond its core objective of providing clean water to communities, EcoSattva also empowers community members to take responsibility for their natural resources by getting them involved in clean-up operations. One such memorable cleaning project is the Clean Kham Movement—the restoration and cleaning of the Kham river and its tributaries, which was carried out ahead of Republic Day, on January 25, 2022. The entire community, including administrative officials and municipal workers, welcomed the project on its first day as a fleet of excavators lined up to dig out waste from the river bed. Since then, the cleanup has been carried out on a weekly basis.

What’s next for EcoSattva? Mirashi hopes to expand to other cities and explore partnerships with other organizations. But more importantly, she wants to use EcoSattva’s “experience, data and expertise to contribute to the larger pool of knowledge in the environmental sector.”

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