The informal sector, comprising waste pickers, scrap dealers, aggregators and recyclers, are key people in the chain of the circular economy. “It is necessary to build bridges and give the informal workers their due recognition. This could facilitate seamless processing of waste management for end-to-end efficiency. It can also reduce gaps in the integrated value chain and make it sustainable,” said Prashant Singh, member of the CII Task Force on Waste to Worth, at the CII Webinar on Waste Management Through Social Inclusion.
Looking back, the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2011, notified in 2011, included plastic waste management. In 2016, the government notified the Plastic Waste Management Rules, which was amended in 2018 and later in 2021. “What is required is the recognition of the informal sector in building a circular economy. Waste pickers segregate the door-to-door waste collection into dry-wet waste at sorting spaces set up across...