Our Story

Mumbai, the financial capital of India, is a densely populated, rapidly growing city that generates large amounts of waste every single day. Across Indian cities – not just tier-1 cities like Mumbai – municipalities do collect and process some waste, a large portion of which is usually handled by frontline workers. Frontline workers perform multiple essential waste collection tasks day in and day out – and this extends to sorting and recycling relevant materials. 

Despite their pivotal role, frontline workers (including sanitation workers) face various challenges every day, challenges that are easily overlooked by authorities. The lack of safety equipment, unsafe working conditions, and little to no economic backing or organisational support have led to rising health risks, further worsened by the uncertainties posed by the informal economy.

If one were to zoom in on waste collection and management practices across Indian cities, it would be impossible to overlook some serious gaps in basic operations and safety. Despite the legal prohibition of manual scavenging, even in the mid-2020s, the death toll is still alarmingly high (Citizens for Justice and Peace). As per official records, since 2019, over 500 sanitation workers have lost their lives (NDTV). 

Most frontline workers are not provided with gloves, masks, or boots – and the question of safety and security takes a backseat due to economic precarity. Ragpickers are not provided with protective equipment, proper machinery, or safe work tools, which only leads to more injuries and even infections. Exposure to hazardous waste also relates directly to respiratory issues, skin infections, allergies, and can also be fatal. Further, if one were to pay attention to informal settlements – like slums – waste management and sorting practices practically don’t exist. Even when there are material recovery facilities, they remain underutilised and operate without proper machinery, mixing hazardous waste with general waste.

Keeping all these risks (social, economic, and technological), cities generating tons of waste, and a system requiring radical changes in mind, Sustain-a-Station Network hopes to improve waste management practices across Indian cities. We understand that without holistic, evidence-based grassroots interventions, it won’t be easy to ensure that our frontline workers have access to safe, dignified working conditions. Thus, Sustain-a-Station Network seeks to work through and overcome pressing challenges in waste management – one problem, one day, and one city at a time.