Collaborative Efforts in Waste Management: Stakeholder Workshop to Discuss Waste Masterplan for Chengalpattu, India.

Since the CLOCC programme launched in Tamil Nadu in Southern India in December 2022, our partners on the ground have been working tirelessly with all stakeholders across the community to develop a waste masterplan for 2.8 million inhabitants in the District of Chengalpattu. On 6th 2024, a Stakeholder Workshop took place in Maraimalai (Tamil Nadu, India) to present and discuss the key recommendations of a Waste Masterplan for the Chengalpattu District.

The following day the CLOCC team participated in an international conference organised by the Norwegian Embassy in India to bring together policy makers and government representatives from India and Sri Lanka, waste management professionals, academicians and researchers, community leaders, students, NGOs, urban planners and city officials, environmentalists and sustainability advocates, entrepreneurs and innovators in the recycling industry as well as key stakeholders and project representatives.  

One of the first steps in this process was to carry out a comprehensive baseline data assessment survey for the area the waste plan must cover, to find out how much waste is generated, which fractions, how they are treated, recycling rate, how much is collected and how much is burned openly and how much ends up in the environment. This comprehensive analysis followed the Waste Wise Cities (WaCT) data collection methodology.

The assessment, conducted in 2023, revealed that only 60% of municipal solid waste (MSW) is collected, and only 22% of this is recovered. The vast majority is being disposed in uncontrolled dumpsites, causing significant health and environmental damage. You can read the full baseline assessment here. 

This assessment formed the basis of the next steps, which are to determine the goals and objectives of the waste masterplan, to establish scenarios for how an ideal waste system might look in Chengalpattu in consultation with local stakeholders and authorities, and then develop a waste masterplan for the local context.

We are now at the latter stages of developing the waste masterplan – the process to develop the different scenarios for building a sustainable waste management system in Chengalpattu has been an extensive one, bringing together all parties and groups with a stake in the waste system through a series of stakeholder workshops over the last 18 months.

On 6th June, CLOCC, Avfall Norge, Hand-in-Hand India, Ambire Global and ISWA led a Workshop made up of a cross-section of society; district officials, local government, town and village panchayats, involved in environmental /waste management. 

This is a critical stage in the CLOCC process as feedback to the Waste Masterplan was sought from the key stakeholders before finalising and formally handing it over to the District. It follows an extensive 18-month process to ensure that the best possible outcome is achieved to ultimately build a sustainable, integrated waste management system for a community of 2.8 million people, one which can be replicated at scale across other towns and regions in India.

“The fourth stakeholder workshop was dynamic with all stakeholders giving their inputs to the draft waste master plan – the discussions were insightful and the feedback we gathered from the participants will help us finalise a comprehensive waste master plan for the District.” Aditi Ramola, Technical Director, ISWA.

Once the feedback has been assessed and collated, the CLOCC team will finalise its recommendations before formally handing over the waste masterplan to the District for implementation. But this is just the beginning of the journey towards implementing sustainable waste management in one region in India.

Keep an eye on our channels for more updates on the Waste Masterplan for Chengalpattu.