Project

Assessment of Waste Management Practices – Co-Design Phase

Thematic Area: Waste Management & Infrastructure

Project Guide(s): Mr. Harish Mohan, AMMACHI Labs

Amrita Partners: Saravanan Balu, Hari L., and R.B. Ramprasath M.

Village: Indpur, Himachal Pradesh

Project Duration: 1 months

Identified Challenge & Aim: In an effort to implement improved waste management practices and provide a local avenue for income generation, the project investigated the feasibility of plastic brick production to address waste and sanitation challenges in the village.

The Study/Innovation:

The team interviewed villagers and met with village officials to gain a better understanding of the social hierarchy and the key social networks in the village. This was to help the team identify the right people to approach for support for their further co-designing activities during their stay in the village. They also explained the reason for their visit and their intention of coming up with better waste management methods which would also enhance income generation. During the first workshop session, students explained to village women their observations and findings from the previous visit with regards to improper waste disposal in the village. The women also spoke regarding the issues they face due to improper waste disposal.

During the second session, the team and village women compared current benefits to those that can be obtained by implementing the solutions that the women had proposed and finished the session with a cost-benefit analysis. The team and village women finally concluded that transforming collected plastic waste into bricks to construct toilets was a sustainable solution that addressed several challenges faced in the village.