Bihar replicates CSE’s Muzaffarpur model of waste management

The project "Swachhata Swasthya Samridhi" launched by CSE in collaboration with Muzaffarpur Municipal Corporation in December 2016, has attained its objective of making the city a complete decentralized waste management model. The programme advocated source segregation through community awareness campaigns, and has achieved 80 percent segregation levels in all of its 49 wards. To support the segregation 87,000 color coded dustbins were distributed to all of the households and dry waste collection bags for the commercial entities.

The efforts by CSE for past 34 months has created an great impact at policy where the city has its own bye-laws on solid and plastic waste management. At the implementation level, CSE could influence the replication of Muzaffarpur model of decentralized waste management in 105 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) out of 141 in the state. The city currently has four decentralised processing centres, which handles wet waste through composting. Organic compost is sold under the trademark “MuzaffarpurJaivikKhad”. Recyclable dry waste is sent to recyclers and helps in integrating informal sector and augments their income levels. The non-recyclable dry waste is stored and sent for co-processing. Upcycling of the products is done to increase the longevity of the plastic products

To sustain the segregation model, the work force of 70 volunteers continuously involve the communities through various behavioral communication change tools, such as nukkad natak, awareness camps and sensitization meetings. This aims at creating community leaders to take forward the initiative.

Muzaffarpur and its processing centres have now become a model learning site in Bihar with representatives from other urban local bodies and educational institutes visit and study the model. To make the project holistic, the existing dumpsite is proposed to be revived through bio-remediation process and the city has plans to setup construction & demolition waste processing facitliy.