1. Rag to riches: role of rag-pickers in circular economy
Ashish Jain, Director, Indian Pollution Control Association

2. About IPCA Non-Government Organization (NGO)
Formed after an experience of Campus Recycling Project at Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi during the period
Present endeavor is to provide waste recycling services or to implement decentralized solid waste management system in to residential, commercial, and institutional campuses of Indian Cities with the help of rag-pickers community.

3. Over 1 million people in India engaged in waste collection

4. Rag Pickers Rights
Rag pickers are volunteers with no rights. They have a difficult life, working hard to clean the cities. They help in recycling of waste that they collect. They are mostly ignored by the government and are harassed by the police, even being put into jail for no reason.
Rag pickers are struggling for:
Environmental exposure
Health care facility
Education for their children
Community recognition
Right value for the waste they collect

5. From a linear economy …

6. … to a circular economy

7. Circular Economy
Circular economy as zero-waste strategy and new societal opportunities

8. The Linear Model is No Longer Viable
With 9 billion people by 2030, challenges of meeting demand for goods and services is unparalleled
Indian are generating 62 million tons of solid waste annually with 31 million tons ending up in landfill

9. IPCA strategy for Circular Economy
Identify the stakeholders and develop and define their roles and responsibilities, keep evolving the processes which enable the same.
Involve, institutionalize the local rag pickers and link them to social security measures, giving them equal dignity and respect among the society and relieve them from the title of waste scavengers.
Segregate, collect, transfer, re-segregate, using the principles of reduce, reuse, recycle and reprocess the remains which cannot be recycled and have to go to landfills. The aim is to reduce the landfills and increase recycling rate.
Ensure that the segregated waste commodities reach to right recycling industries and the waste picker get the maximum value of its efforts.

10. Circular Economy Package
Health & Safety Tools
Capacity Building
Rag-picker Network
Linkages with Recyclers
Safety gadget
Health care services
Training
Knowledge on waste trade
Update on pricing
Identify dedicated rag-picker
Deputation of rag-picker at appropriate location
Connect with recyclers at PAN India
Increase margin of profit
Increase rate of recycling

11. Keys to IPCA’s “closed loop” recycling Program
Patience and persistence through development process
Management provided team time and resources for success
Innovation in Storage
Reduce volume of waste material to save cost on storage and transportation
Partnering with innovative Recyclers
Collaboration with partners leveraged core competencies

12. S.No.
Waste Item
% in dry waste
Total Tons/year
Rate in Rs./ton
income/year/rag -picker (Rs.)
income per rag picker /month (Rs.) 1
PET Bottle
9.98
4.37
10000 2
Tetra Pak Carton
1.99
0.87
5000
364.27 3
Glass
1000 4
Beer Bottle
11.98
5.25
437.13 5
White Paper
13.97
6.12 6
Cardboard
3000 7
Aluminium foil
1.20
0.52
20000
874.25 8
Milk Pouch
3.99
1.75
728.54 9
Metal 10
Scrap Paper (Raddi) 11
Polybag
11.97
4000 12
Plastic
5.98
2.62 13
Tin Can
0.99
0.44
182.14
Total
100
43.8
2,12,005.98
17,667.17

13. Thank you Ashish Jain, Director Indian Pollution Control Association,
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