BEYOND BURNING WASTE

Venue: National Foundation for India, India Habitat Centre, Core 4A, Upper Ground Floor, Lodhi Road, New Delhi

Register here: https://forms.gle/xabCELQ4aUAtfWHE9

Objectives

1. To build a shared understanding of the lifecycle impacts of plastics, with a focus on climate, health, and urban ecological consequences.
2. To critically examine the role of Waste-to-Energy incineration in Delhi’s solid waste management system, including its implications for emissions, public health, and waste picker livelihoods.
3. To foreground the voices and perspectives of informal waste workers and highlight how WTEs and non-recyclable plastics threaten recycling-based livelihoods.
4. To discuss the vision and practical pathways for zero waste cities in the Indian urban context.
5. To collectively identify next steps for research, advocacy, and collaboration, including the possibility of formalising a partnership with various partnering CSOs.

Target Participants

• Active citizens working on Solid Waste Management
• PhD scholars and early-career researchers working on urban studies, environment, and climate change
• Youth-led climate change groups and student activists
• Practitioners and civil society organisations working on waste, plastics, and environmental justice
• Representatives of waste picker collectives 

Workshop Format and Methodology

The workshop will be highly participatory and discussion-driven. It will combine: Presentations, Case studies and Film screening etc to provide a common narrative and provoke discussion on plastics across their lifecycle – Freewheeling plenary discussions to unpack key issues around plastics, WTEs, and climate impacts – Breakout group discussions focused on zero waste pathways, livelihoods, and future actions – Collective reflection on research gaps and institutional collaborations

Organisers: Basti Suraksha Manch, Waste Pickers Welfare Association, NCR-Waste Matters, CFA, Samata