Prof. Ashok Kumar Ghosh by Prof. Ashok Kumar Ghosh A significant factor in the waste management practices of low income countries like India is the presence of extensive informal sector activities, either in the form of recycling enterprise of itinerant waste buyers and dealers, or through self employed and municipal sweepers collecting solid waste against an agreed payment from household. The “informal sector in solid waste management” refers to individuals, families, and private sector (micro-) enterprises working in waste management services and valorisation, whose activities are neither... 

The 1.7 million Rag pickers of India: our real waste management experts!   New Delhi: reconsider the despise you felt for the ubiquitous rag pickers of all ages you see in India, wherever you go. These are the women, men, girls and boys of all ages who have the time to study your garbage closely with their practiced eyes. Where you just see piles of stinking garbage, they see a gold mine. These are the prospectors who manage the garbage in our small and big cities, recycling every single item known or unknown to be recyclable.  These rag pickers have their own ‘geography’ of the...