Women cycle miles to curb plastic pollution

Time of India

04-06-2025

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Ranchi: A group of women, all members of self-help groups (SHGs) in two panchayats of Ormanjhi block on the outskirts of Ranchi district, pedal several kilometres every day to collect dry and plastic waste from at least 700-800 households in nine villages.
They transport it to waste segregation centres with the sole goal of stopping the plastic pollution menace in their villages.
The women brigade, roped in for waste collection by the Swachh Bharat Mission, Grameen (SBM-G) under the state drinking water and sanitation department, collects plastic bottles, papers, glass, metals, and other dry waste from the households. After segregating the waste at sheds, they sell the waste to a material recovery facility (MRF) set up in the Barwe panchayat of Ormanjhi.
The SHG members, who did not have any sustainable source of income, are now earning a modest sum by selling the waste, along with promoting cleanliness in the villages.
Poornima Devi, a Safai Mitra from Dahu village, said that she visits approximately 250–300 households each day, collecting 20–30 kg of dry waste. "I drive my tricycle-rickshaw across a 9.2 km route every day, ensuring the collected waste reaches the Barwe panchayat collection centre for further processing.
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I earn Rs 2,000-3,000 per week by selling the waste at the MRF," she added.
In nine villages, eight women, Safai Mitras, are associated with household waste collection.
The recovery facility was set up under the CSR activity of a private bank and the Centre for Environment Education (CEE) in partnership with the Ranchi district rural development authority (DRDA), the drinking water and sanitation department, and SBM-G.
The MRF, operational since October last year, has collected over 100 tonnes of dry and plastic waste to date.
Anjali Kumari, in charge of the facility, told TOI that their village has witnessed a visible transformation since the facility was set up. "Earlier, garbage piles could be found everywhere in the village, creating an unpleasant environment. But now all village roads are free of waste materials, and villagers have also been sensitised about plastic disposal," Anjali added.
The initiative, mostly dominated by women, has prevented plastic waste from mixing with landfills and the burning of plastics, which pollutes the environment. Subeer Ranjan, project officer of CEE, who collaborates with the Jharkhand govt to run the MRF, said that efforts are underway to start a similar initiative across 39 panchayats and 120 villages of Ormanjhi and Angara blocks and nearby panchayats of Kanke block.
Azad Hussain, state consultant of SBM-G, Jharkhand, said that three state departments — rural development, Panchayati Raj department, and the drinking water and sanitation department — are promoting cleanliness in the rural areas across the state. He added that the MRF centre in Ormanjhi is the biggest in the state, and such centres have been established across the state to curb the menace of plastic and other pollution.