When urban residents gather to manage their refuse: lessons from India

This paper examines the concept of area-based organisations as a means of promoting a sustainable, integrated waste management system in Indian mega-cities. A local NGO, called EXNORA, has advocated people-centred approaches as an alternative solution for clean cities where urban municipal services are over-loaded. This has led to the formation of CIVIC EXNORAs which aim to implement a zero waste management scheme designed by Indians for the Indian context. As this model has been widely quoted as successful, the study aimed at learning from two communities implementing this model. Field studies reveal that they face many problems, which prevent them from impacting effectively on the overall system of municipal waste management. However, their action has had a significant impact on public awareness.