Solid Waste Management Solutions for Mumbai

Mumbai is an example of most of the urban spaces in India, in terms of consumption of products by a huge populace living together in one space. Though the population and volume of consumption increases, the volume allotted for disposal has more or less remained the same since the first landfills were commissioned. The problem is part volume related but also has a lot to do with the way the waste is disposed. Unsegregated waste increases the time required for sorting and hence the time required for recycling. People’s participation has been an area of interest in the context of segregation and disposal of solid waste in many countries. Countries like Germany have also shown how successful it is to incentivise waste disposal and promote recycling at the domestic level as well.

This project traces an attempt to remove the aversion from an enforced activity like solid waste disposal, keeping in mind the various stakeholders involved. It also takes into account segregation and attempts to formulate a system that helps volume reduction, by converting the activity into a playful one and packaging it into a facia that arouses curiosity and removes the age old perception and aversion towards dustbins or spaces for disposal. The backbone of Mumbai’s waste system are its waste handlers both MCGM’s handlers and the oft unrecognised rag-pickers, a part of the project deals with the employment of this community that earns its bread from the sorting and recycling of our waste.