Dear Paresh,

Thanks so much for sharing this thought-provoking piece “Waste is not wealth: Lessons from the Indian Himalayan Region.” It really challenges a narrative we often hear in our sector, and I found the financial breakdown especially eye-opening. Sometimes we celebrate the circular economy idea without fully grasping the real costs that come with running waste systems sustainably.

Here in Zambia, we’ve seen similar realities play out. Many community-based waste initiatives from composting to small-scale recycling start with great energy but struggle to stay afloat once donor support ends. The gap between recovery costs and revenue is often wide, and without stable markets or consistent policy backing, sustainability becomes a huge challenge.That said, there are some inspiring sparks:

• Collaboration & partnerships: In Lusaka, joint efforts between the city council, private recyclers, and informal waste pickers are slowly improving waste recovery rates:  www.lcc.gov.zm/  

• Investment & infrastructure: Rwanda’s and Kenya’s models show that upfront investment in materials recovery facilities pays off in the long run:

1)  Rwanda’s Solid Waste Management Strategy-  www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-rele...-management-strategy      
2) Kenya’s Solid Waste Management Policy-  www.nema.go.ke/images/Docs/Solid_Waste_Management_Policy.pdf   

• Market linkages: Zambia’s Manja Pamodzi Foundation (supported by Coca-Cola) connects informal collectors with recycling markets, a great example of EPR in action:  www.coca-cola.com/za/en/brands/manja-pamodzi  

• Data & planning: Initiatives like the Green Cities Programme are helping municipalities better understand waste streams to guide investment decisions:  www.unhabitat.org/  

Still, two things stand out for me:

- Building local value chains for instance, turning organic waste into compost, biogas, or even biochar to support agriculture.

- Strengthening EPR enforcement and offering small tax incentives for recycled materials, this could make the “waste is wealth” vision a little more real.

At the end of the day, waste only becomes wealth when systems which are policy, financing, people, and partnerships truly work together.

Warm regards,


Benny

Dear community,
sharing this interesting piece that challenges a commonly accepted notion - waste is wealth. 
Waste is not wealth: Lessons from the Indian Himalayan Region  
 I particularly like the financial details this piece brings from the field to make the point and the impact it has on the services. 

The following blurbs give a good idea about the piece

When discussing waste management systems, the conversations often focus on operational sustainability—who will manage it, how it will sustain itself, and what’s the best revenue model for it. However, a simpler and more foundational question needs to be answered first: Is it even possible to build such a system? 

 A closer look reveals the financial gap: 

• Collection costs approximately INR 8.04 per kg, while income is INR 5.06 per kg—leaving a 37 percent deficit. 
• Processing costs are approximately INR 11.57per kg, but income stands at only INR 3.92 per kg—creating a 66 percent deficit.  

when revenue from these sales falls short, it limits the ability to pay fair wages, offer job security, or provide protective gear and training. In systems that aren’t subsidised through external support, this can lead to low morale among workers, high attrition rates, and unsafe working conditions. Over time, this worsens not just worker well-being, but also the consistency and quality of waste services themselves.

I am jotting down the conditions from the article that could facilitate circular economy.

• Convergence and collaboration across departments towards problem-solving 
• A significant upfront investment - land, construction, equipment, and compliance-related expenses.
• Mature recycling ecosystems and market linkages 
• A mix of high-value and low or no-value waste 
• Reliable data on waste generation, management practices
• Resources for operations - (user fees and/or viability gap funding and/or corporate social responsibility)
• Integration with existing informal collection systems. 
• Geographically sensitive extended producer responsibility (EPR) mechanism 

I'd like to hear about your experience with how these conditions affect the sustainability of services in different contexts. Also, what other actions or conditions can financially facilitate the circular economy of solid waste?

Regards
paresh