Published Paper Details:

India faces major challenges related to waste management as large quantity of waste is generated but not effectively disposed of. Though various policies are in place, yet the current system is unable to cope with the growing needs of waste management. Waste segregation does not take place in most of the households including organic wet waste. Eventually, the waste from the households ends up on the streets, consumed by stray animals as well as becoming breeding ground for insects and infections; that which goes to the landfills, generates powerful greenhouse gas methane, which contribute to global warming. The need for organic wet waste recycling has thus increased over the years as waste management has become an emerging issue in most metropolitan cities. The present study was conducted on 70 households of Delhi to gain insight into the waste management practices adopted, 10 maids and 10 waste collectors to find out the cycle of organic waste from household to final disposal site, and two NGOs working in the field of organic waste management. The subjects selected from the households were 20-40 years old, well-educated, both employed and homemakers with a family size of upto four family members. Waste management for them was recycling or re-using and segregation of waste and organic waste was perceived mostly as food waste. The households cooked 3-4 meals in a day and the amount of vegetables and fruits purchased in a week was up to 6 kg while the amount of pre-cooked plant based waste including vegetable peels, green leafy vegetables generated per day was more than 400 g. The households stored their waste in garbage bags, disposing the same in mixed form either to the waste collector, the tipper (vehicle collecting waste) or a nearby bin. Waste after being discarded either went to the community bin, an open space nearby, the dhalao (waste dump) or along the roadside. The major challenge faced by both the maids and waste collectors while handling waste was bad odour and fear of infection, particularly for the latter when segregating mixed waste. Both the NGOs profiled worked towards installing and promoting organic waste composting in different areas of Delhi; however, they faced resistance from some residents as they felt composting led to stink and insect breeding in the area. Possibility of effective use of organic waste can be explored to generate products like compost, bio-enzyme and bathing soap to promote a clean and safe environment intended towards zero waste as well as monetary gains.