At the invitation of Institute of Chartered Waste Managers (ICWM), the ISWA National Member for India, together with the Norwegian based GRID-Arendal,ย ISWA’s Women of Waste Task Force organized a panel discussion and workshop onย โ๐ช๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ: ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐๐ตโ during the ๐ฎ๐ณ๐๐ต Pradanya IIHMR “๐๐น๐ผ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐๐น๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐บ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ (๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฏ)” on the 14th March 2023 at ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฅ ๐จ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐, in the โPink Cityโ of Jaipur India.ย
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Most of the waste is collected by the informal sector in India โ and women make a up a large percentage of that workforce, often facing harsh conditions. But change is coming. The concept of a just transition from informal to a more organized system of solid waste management is gaining traction within circular economy debates and replacing the earlier ideas that missed the social and labour dimensions. In a just transition, womenโs livelihoods as well as their skills, knowledge and contribution are not lost to the sector but rather are strengthened and valued in the fight against plastic pollution.ย ย
With moderation by Georgina Nitzsche, WOW! Coordinator, panel speakers presented their inspiring regional and national projects and models working both directly with women and with a gender sensitive approach.ย For example, Beate Kvรฆrnes Langset counsellor Royal Norwegian Embassy New Delhi, gave insights to their work collecting and collating available data on women working in the informal sector, and Nancy A. Strand from Avfall Norge highlighted the step-wise program from the grassroots CLOCC project in Indonesia which is funded by Noraid and ISWA is also part of.ย
The impressive efforts to reduce plastic river pollution in Nepal through personal interviews and follow-up technical support to women were presented by Pratik Bajracharya from creasion Nepal,ย Amogh Bhongale SWaCHย presented their pioneering gender-sensitive collective model from Pune.ย ย
Bharati Chaturvedi Director and Founder of Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group shared the sobering results of her new study, Santulan, focussed on women and plastics, examining the potential for a gendered circular economy – as well as her uplifting work improving the lives and families of 17,000 female waste workers. These examples show the tough challenges but also the potential when women are supported in a just transition โ it can be done.ย
The panel discussion was followed by a roundtable workshop on the Just Transition of the Informal Recycling Sector with the aim of generating practical activities and models for India, particularly for women. This interactive session was led by WOW! TF Lead Maria Tsakona senior solid waste and marine litter expert from GRID-Arendalย using themes and inputs from their recently published policy paper: A Seat at the Table – The Role of the Informal Recycling Sector in Plastic Pollution Reduction, and Recommended Policy Changesย ย It was a great brainstorming session and the workshop proceedings will be available shortly.ย ย ย
WOW! Is grateful to Dr Vivek S Agrawalย and CA Shivangi Sultania from theย Institute of Chartered Waste Managers (ICWM). Dr Mamta Chauhan and Dr. Goutam Sadhu of IIHMR University for their support and warm hospitality.
