From margins to mainstream: Waste picker-led circularity model expands to 12 Indian cities

By A Representative

In a groundbreaking development that aligns environmental action with social equity, a textile waste recycling initiative led by informal waste workers in Bengaluru has scaled from a local pilot to a national model. The project, part of the broader Saamuhika Shakti programme, is now being replicated in 12 cities across India—demonstrating that circularity can be both climate-positive and socially inclusive when rooted in community leadership.

Launched in 2021, the initiative has evolved into a robust textile recovery system centered on a network of waste pickers who manage and operate 16 neighborhood sorting centres, supported by a central textile recovery facility. This infrastructure enables the processing of post-consumer textile waste that would otherwise clog landfills, while also creating dignified livelihoods for hundreds of waste pickers.

Public engagement has surged thanks to campaigns such as “Got Old Clothes?”, led by BBC Media Action, which doubled the city’s textile collections in just one month. Over 1,100 kilograms of used clothing were diverted from landfills during the campaign, marking a pivotal shift in urban waste behavior.

The project is developed by the Circular Apparel Innovation Factory (CAIF) and implemented on the ground by Hasiru Dala, a Bengaluru-based waste picker collective. With support from the H&M Foundation, the textile initiative targets the diversion of 800,000 kilograms of post-consumer textile waste and the empowerment of 500 waste pickers by 2026. More than 400 waste pickers have already been integrated into the system, and 55% of the waste diversion target has been achieved—well ahead of schedule.

“What makes this model so powerful is that it’s not a top-down solution,” said Maria Bystedt, Programme Director at H&M Foundation. “It’s been co-created with waste pickers, who know the problem best. It proves that circularity isn’t just about materials or recycling tech; it’s about how we design systems that are inclusive, effective, and climate-resilient.”

The success of the Bengaluru model lies in its collaborative governance. Waste picker collectives, municipal authorities, and NGOs co-create and co-manage the initiative, ensuring long-term sustainability and shared accountability. As it expands nationally, the model positions waste pickers as essential actors in India’s climate response and circular economy transition.

Saamuhika Shakti, funded by the H&M Foundation, is a multi-stakeholder initiative running from 2020 to 2026 with a total investment of over USD 21 million across two phases. It includes partners such as Bal Raksha Bharat, BBC Media Action, CAIF, Enviu, Hasiru Dala, Sambhav Foundation, Sattva Consulting, Social Alpha, Sparsha Trust, Udhyam Learning Foundation, and WaterAid India.

By scaling community-designed solutions, the programme is redefining both sustainability and social justice—placing India’s waste pickers at the heart of its urban transformation.

Comments

How natural and organic farming can be a key to combating the climate crisis

By Raj Kumar Sinha* On July 9, while addressing the “Sahkar Samvad” in Ahmedabad with women and workers associated with cooperatives from Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan, Union Home Minister Amit Shah emphasized that natural farming is essential for both our health and the health of the soil. This is a significant statement in the context of addressing the climate change crisis. Natural farming can play a crucial role in combating climate change. Also known as organic farming, it is a system of agriculture that can increase food production without harming the environment. Natural farming has the potential to reduce carbon emissions by 35% to 50%.

100 yrs of RSS as seen by global media house: Power, controversy, push for Hindu-first India

By Rajiv Shah On a blistering summer evening in Nagpur, nearly a thousand men in brown trousers, white shirts, and black caps stood in formation as a saffron flag was raised, marking a graduation ceremony for Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) workers. This vivid scene, described in a recent FT Weekend Magazine article, “A hundred years after it was founded, India's Hindu-nationalist movement is getting closer to its goal of a Hindu-first state,” captures the enduring presence of the RSS, a century-old Hindu-nationalist organization.

Another 'honor' killing in Tamil Nadu: Caste pride has murdered love, again

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Once again, Tamil Nadu has witnessed a brutal so-called 'honor' killing. This time, it is Kevin Selvaganesh, a 27-year-old software engineer from the Scheduled Caste community, who has been hacked to death by the family of the girl he loved since childhood. Kevin, a brilliant student employed at Tata Consultancy Services, was in a relationship with Subashini, his schoolmate and girlfriend. The couple, both well-educated and professionally qualified, had plans to marry. Yet, that love story ended in bloodshed — sacrificed at the altar of caste pride.

Why is India’s cheetah project under fire? Study flags ecological, social, species injustices

By Rajiv Shah A recent peer-reviewed study has sharply criticized Project Cheetah—India’s high-profile initiative to reintroduce African cheetahs into the wild—as ethically compromised, scientifically flawed, and socially unjust. Titled “Delineating the Environmental Justice Implications of an Experimental Cheetah Introduction Project in India”, the paper is authored by Yashendu C. Joshi, Stephanie E. Klarmann, and Louise C. de Waal, and was published in Frontiers in Conservation Science.

The myth of population decline: India’s real challenge is density, not fertility

By N.S. Venkataraman* India’s population in 2025 stands at approximately 1.4 billion. In 1950, it was 359 million, rising sharply to 1.05 billion by 2000. The population continues to grow and is projected to reach around 1.7 billion by 2050.

Siang dam project sparks debate over security, development, and displacement in Arunachal

By Aarna Gupta* The proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) in Arunachal Pradesh, India, has emerged as a contentious initiative shaped by strategic, environmental, and social concerns. Indian officials, including Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, have voiced strong support for the project. One of the primary motivations is China’s plan to build a 60,000 MW hydropower dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo River (the upper stretch of the Brahmaputra) in Tibet, which Indian authorities see as a threat to water and national security. In response, the 11,000 MW Siang Dam, with its 9 billion cubic meter reservoir, is viewed as a necessary countermeasure to manage water flow and reduce vulnerability.

Shanghai Textbook reassessed: Between revolutionary rhetoric and economic reality

By Harsh Thakor "Maoist Economics and the Revolutionary Road to Communism: The Shanghai Textbook on Socialist Political Economy" (1975) presents a detailed exposition of the Chinese perspective on socialist political economy under Mao . Developed during the Cultural Revolution, it outlines a theoretical framework for the functioning of a socialist alternative to capitalism. The book was formulated under the direction of Zhang Chunqiao, who played a central role in discussions, content planning, and final reviews of the draft.

Trump’s tariff tactics are a geopolitical bully move that may backfire

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent move to impose high tariffs on Indian goods is yet another example of his aggressive, unilateralist economic policy—an attempt to pressure and punish rather than to negotiate. This is not an isolated action. Trump has shown similar hostility toward other countries aligned with the BRICS bloc—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—reflecting his disdain for multipolar global cooperation and his desire to maintain American economic supremacy at all costs.

Search This Blog