The Alliance of Indian Waste Pickers (AIW) has submitted a comprehensive set of recommendations to the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change regarding the Draft Solid Waste Management (SWM) Rules, 2024. AIW, a national coalition representing over 1,04,465 waste pickers across 18 states, emphasized the need for better inclusion, livelihood security, and social protection for informal waste workers.
Key Recommendations:
1. Strengthening Governance: Local bodies should facilitate the registration of waste pickers, ensure financial support for waste management enterprises, and form Local Area Environment Committees for monitoring.
2. Accountability of Bulk Waste Generators (BWGs): Encouraging at-source wet waste processing, defining BWG criteria, and imposing higher fees for offsite processing to promote sustainable waste management.
3. Integration of Waste Pickers: Formal recognition through registration, ID cards, access to welfare schemes, and priority employment in municipal waste management.
4. Sustainable Waste Processing: Discouraging waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration, promoting composting and biogas utilization, and enforcing stricter emission standards for WTE plants.
5. Improved Reporting & Compliance: Streamlining registration requirements, introducing monitoring mechanisms, and ensuring waste pickers’ participation in decision-making processes.
Additionally, AIW has submitted a draft of National Guidelines for the Integration of Waste Pickers, developed in consultation with waste picker organizations and experts. These recommendations aim to make waste management policies more inclusive, effective, and environmentally sustainable.