This booklet by Exnora Green Pammal (EGP) begins by highlighting the grave situation in relation to solid waste management in the country and the steps undertaken by the government to tackle this issue. The document presents a review of the efforts undertaken by EGP, an NGO based in Chennai, which has been implementing solid waste management projects with a variety of local bodies in accordance with the government’s rules.

India’s solid waste crisis is undermining the nation’s efforts to improve public health, protect the environment and stop climate change. India produces a staggering amount of municipal solid waste every day and the rate of production is expected to climb steadily as the nation becomes more populated, urbanised and economically developed.

Although the Indian government has enacted rules for management and handling of municipal solid waste, the results as per the year 2010 indicate that most localities have not fully complied with the rules and the situation has found to be getting worse day by day. Widespread, prolonged noncompliance with the rules and the rapid, highly-visible environmental degradation has led to calls for a changes in the nation’s waste management policy.

However, it has been realised that the rules are not in need of drastic overhaul. Rather, the rules should be refined according to lessons learned by existing efforts to bring localities into compliance. Review and analysis of such efforts will identify bottlenecks and gaps that impede widespread implementation of the rules, thereby revealing points where policy requires attention and action.

This booklet is the product of a month-long review of four models of partnership between EGP, local bodies, residents, socially responsible corporations and other stakeholders.

The review aimed at determining the impact and distill the lessons of such partnerships and use these insights to assess the nation’s SWM policy. The findings verify the strengths and efficacy of the rules, pinpoint at impediments hampering widespread compliance, and indicate specific steps to remove these roadblocks and enable localities to implement the rules.

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