Dr. Sanjay Joshi

Waste pickers are not a burden on cities—they are among their most valuable environmental service providers. Last week's article examined how exclusionary policies continue to undermine the livelihoods of waste pickers despite their indispensable contribution to urban waste management. However, exclusion is not the only story. Across India, waste pickers have shown that when they organise, they can secure recognition, protect their rights, and become valued partners in building cleaner, more...

The workers who have sustained urban recycling systems for decades remain excluded from the benefits of the very circular economy they helped build. In continuation of my last week’s article, the introduction and subsequent strengthening of the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework were expected to create significant opportunities for waste pickers. These workers already recover and channel a substantial proportion of post-consumer plastic waste into recycling streams. In practice,...

Strong regulations alone cannot solve plastic pollution if the people collecting and recovering the waste are left out of the system. After reading my earlier articles in this column outlining India’s legislative framework on plastic waste management, one could be forgiven for feeling reassured. The Government of India has, after all, introduced a comprehensive set of laws and regulations to address the growing plastic waste problem. One might therefore expect our roads, streets, public...