South Asian Forum for Environment
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The ISWM program of SAFE, titled Resolve Trash to Cash is a pioneering initiative that recycles urban municipal wastes including wet waste, paper, plastic, and textiles. The focus is on the ‘Art of recycling’, giving new life to waste, creating jobs, and promoting a sustainable lifestyle. RT2C is creating and offering a variety of different range of micro utility household products and a range of handicrafts and decors made out of recycled solid waste, mainly by reusing waste paper, textile wastes, plastics, and wet waste. The market survey analysis, however, based on utility values competes with plastic products most closely by 78% and distantly competes (22%) with utility products made of glass, wood, and metal. The cost is covered through the sale of recycled natural utility products, including, handmade paper, eco-packaging solutions, and other handicraft items.
The revenue returns serve the livelihood of women waste workers surviving below the poverty line and mainstreaming them as artisan entrepreneurs.
The waste-to-Energy project is ICT-based with a daily output 10Cu. Mt of biogas (93-95%) of pure methane is produced every day, generating 2500-3000 KVA power (230 V) for 8-10 hours. 250 kg of compost is produced from 30 composting units and 160-180 liters of liquid manure for fertigation is produced per day. Wet waste is collected from fresh markets, and is monitored under an App-based system, from the collection point to all recycling units, including paper, plastic, food waste, cloth waste, etc, with the GPS monitoring system and data documentation. Achieving segregation at the start point through awareness makes recycling achievable and sustaianble.
In the wake of C-40 cities movement for climate-smart cities with the lowest emission footprints, this project finds an equitable stage to fit in with any other climate-smart intervention for the city. The current initiative entails public awareness campaigns and involves students through hands-on sustainable lifestyle and education curriculums. ResolveTrash2Cash is scaled in Bangladesh and Bhutan with regional partners and is working at the grassroots level to build the ‘Art of recycling’, culture in developing countries.
