From Informal to Impactful: Role of Social Enterprises in Transforming Solid Waste Management in India

Abstract

Often framed as a problem of overflowing landfills, the heart of India’s urban waste crisis arises much earlier in the chain. Weak segregation at source, alongside the marginalization of its informal workforce, have long marred the country’s waste system. Despite waste pickers’ central role in recovering recyclables and diverting significant volumes of waste away from landfills, they are not fully or meaningfully integrated into formal frameworks. In response to these institutional gaps, social enterprises have emerged as important intermediaries between municipalities and informal workers. Through a comparative study of two prominent social enterprises—SWaCH in Pune and Hasiru Dala in Bengaluru—this paper examines how inclusive and decentralized approaches to solid waste management can strengthen urban waste management. Drawing on existing evidence, the study analyzes how both enterprises integrate waste pickers into service delivery, generating significant environmental gains, while also promoting source segregation and improving incomes and bargaining power for workers. Ultimately, the paper argues that effective waste governance in India cannot be achieved through technological solutions, but rather by building systems that strengthen informal networks that already underpin the country’s waste economy.