For those of us who have been to India, solving the waste crisis might seem like a utopia. For Jabir Karat, a young middle-class Indian, there was no other option. He got a scholarship Ghandi Fellowship and chose to immerse himself in the problem by working as a garbage collector. Ten years later, the company he created, called Green Wormsis revolutionizing the way rural communities manage waste.
Streets and landfills in India have become a primary source of income for many informal workers, who rely on scavenging and sorting to make a living. Most have no fixed wages, health care or other means of protection for dangerous work, due to the substances they handle and the places where they do it. In addition, Approximately 80% of waste pickers in India are women and around 12% are children.; often subject to harassment and exploitation, exposure to hazardous chemicals and human waste.
Partnering with informal waste workers, Green Worms offers services including collection, recovery and recycling to government agencies and businesses, while creating decent and sustainable jobs. It seeks systemic change in waste management that is inclusive, ensures dignity, safe working conditions and traceability, while complying with legal requirements; engaging local communities and stakeholders to drive collective action. And it achieves this through what might seem like another miracle; bringing together local governments, female waste pickers and national and international brands increasingly forced to adopt ethical sourcing practices and plastic offsetting services.
The health of our planet and therefore our own depends on the unhealthy, dangerous and poorly paid work of the poorest and most vulnerable in our society.
Fortunately, Indian legislation helps in this endeavor: Extended Producer Responsibility on plastic waste is a mandate that, through the Plastic Waste Management Rules of 2016, obliges plastic producers, brands and importers to collect and recycle post-consumer plastic waste with the responsibility of reducing their environmental impact and demonstrating a commitment to sustainability.
Green Worms begins by offering in-depth assessments to local governments, helping them introduce new systems and processes to maximize waste collection, source segregation, and recovery of recyclable materials. At the same time, it engages the local community in education campaigns. And, most importantly—and the secret to its success—it provides women organized in self-help groups (SHGs) with the oversight, support, and training they need to offer consistent waste collection and establish their own micro-enterprises. “Our process creates traceability, transparency, and most importantly, safe and dignified employment for women from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds,” says Karat.
According to the company, since 2014 Green Worms has grown from managing waste in a small village to managing 100 villages, three towns, two cities and dozens of islands in India, recovering 67,000 tons of plastic, creating more than 320 jobs in its own facilities and supporting almost 3,000 female entrepreneurs.
2% of the world’s poorest people depend on garbage collection for their livelihood
More than 70% of employees say they have increased their income, with two-thirds saying they earn more than in their previous jobs. More than 80% say the way the community views their jobs has improved as a result of working with Green Worms, and almost 90% said they have greater confidence and the right level of autonomy at work.
Despite the success, according to the Royal Society Publishing Journal, India’s waste crisis continues to intensify. The Asian country produces more plastic waste than most other countries in the world, but its management is so disorganized that it has to import plastic waste from other countries to supply its own recycling industry.
That’s why Green Worms is planning to expand its facilities. Acumen Fund, a leader in impact investing, has just invested in the company. “This is not just about decent jobs,” says Paraag Sabhlok, director of the company. Acumen in India, he told the paper. “It’s more than just the circular economy. It’s about behavioural change. Green Worms is building a movement that inspires change among waste generators, waste collectors and throughout the value chain.”
Some 20 million people in the world depend on garbage collection for their livelihood, and One third of the planet’s food is produced by small farmers, many of whom suffer poverty and food insecurity. How can we continue to fail to recognize and dignify two jobs that are essential to our survival?
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