How CLOCC’s Eco Village Initiative is Transforming Rural Waste Management

Discussions on waste management often focus on major cities, but effective solutions at the rural level—paired with strong public engagement—are just as critical. That is at the heart of CLOCC’s approach to building replicable and saleable solutions. Effective rural waste management is not just important—it’s essential for public health, preventing waste leakage, and building economic resilience.

Recognizing this urgent need, CLOCC’s Eco Village Initiative is working in rural areas of Chengalpattu, India. In collaboration with Hand-in-Hand India, this project aims to bring together local communities, governments, and waste workers to develop safe, sustainable, and scalable waste management systems that protect both people and the environment.

Earlier this month, CLOCC and Hand-in-Hand India launched the Eco Village Project to enhance waste management in four pilot villages: Padur, Manivakkam, Perumpairkandigai, and Vellaputhu. This week, Oda Korneliussen and Mads William of the CLOCC team (Sirk Norge), along with a team from Hand-in-Hand India visited these villages to engage with local communities. It was inspiring to witness the residents’ motivation and willingness to cooperate in building proper waste management systems. At the same time, the visit highlighted the significant challenges in establishing comprehensive systems that eliminate open burning and uncontrolled dumping of waste. In Padur, for example, waste is not sorted at the household level, and most of it is transferred to a nearby uncontrolled dumpsite. In Vellaputhur, only 30 percent of household waste is currently collected. These are not unusual practices. 

Last year, the Chengalpattu Waste Master Plan (CWMP) was launched and will serve as guiding light for each pilot village. This plan will guide them in developing individual action plans tailored to their specific waste management needs and available local resources. The Eco Village Model is designed to create effective, localized solutions. Over the next six months, Hand-in-Hand and CLOCC will work closely with local stakeholders to develop and implement bold plans aimed at achieving full waste collection. This will be supported by locally organized treatment such as composting, biogas production, and plastic recycling systems. Key to the long-term success of these initiatives is sound financial models: understanding local economies and securing financial mechanisms that cover operational costs (e.g, through waste fees) will be critical in maintaining these systems over time.

This Eco Village Initiative is not just about transforming waste management in four villages—it is about creating a replicable and scalable model for the wider population. When done effectively at the local level, the Eco Village Model has the potential to be expanded nationwide, helping to address India’s urgent waste management challenges on a much larger scale. The success of this project could serve as a blueprint for other regions, proving that well-structured, community-driven waste management systems can be both sustainable and transformative.