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Safai Mitras
Why Are Safai Mitras Important
Why Are Safai Mitras Important
What We Did
Best Practices From Across India
What We Learnt
Why Are Safai Mitras Important?
Safai Mitras or waste pickers are the backbone of the recycling system in India. They collect, sort and sell materials for recycling or reuse. It is estimated that more than 4 million people earn a livelihood from waste.
Through collecting materials such as plastic, glass, paper and electronic waste from households and streets – Safai Mitras' contribution to material recovery is immense. Their efforts also contribute to better public health and the environment by reducing the amount of waste entering the landfill and promoting resource recovery.
These invisible superheroes, despite their undeniable role, are at the forefront of various challenges including marginalization and social exclusion. Due to the itinerant nature of their work, they earn low and unsteady incomes, face increased vulnerability to climate and natural disasters and are exposed to health risks.
Approximately 70% of them earn a monthly household income of less than INR 10,000, highlighting their economic vulnerability. Many belong to socially disadvantaged groups, which further limits their access to essential services and opportunities. Over 60% lack formal education, perpetuating a cycle of disadvantage and hindering their ability to secure better livelihoods. Additionally, the absence of essential documentation restricts their formalization efforts, leaving them without the benefits that come with recognized employment. Despite these obstacles, sanitation workers are the true entrepreneurs on the ground, demonstrating resilience and resourcefulness as they continue contributing significantly to public health and environmental sustainability. For circularity to truly materialize, we need to include and mainstream Safai Mitras in the formal waste management ecosystem.
What We Did – Project Utthan
First, we recognized and we listened.
As we embarked on developing comprehensive waste models, we realized that recognizing the contributions of Safai Mitras was imperative. Through our work with community-based organizations, we began to truly listen to the needs of Safai Mitras, the gaps in the ecosystem. For example, through on-going consultations with one of our partners, Stree Mukti Sangatana, we realized that there was an immediate need to focus on the occupational health and safety of Safai Mitras.
Occupational safety.
In 2020, we began with comprehensive capacity building programs to equip them with the knowledge to handle hazardous materials safely, enhance their risk awareness, and prepare them for emergencies (like the pandemic), while improving their working conditions. This was crucial especially since Safai Mitras were working tirelessly, often in high-risk conditions (while handling COVID related medical waste), to keep cities clean and societies and families healthy.
Social and financial security.
Following a Baseline Survey by UNDP 2020, we began to unearth deeper and more complex challenges in the ecosystem, with Safai Mitras at the intersectionality of marginalization from the lens of caste, gender, economic backwardness, occupation and opportunities. These circumstances demanded for efforts to empower Safai Mitras with a better quality of life.
As a first-of-its-kind, social and financial inclusion program.
Project Utthan aims to enhance the participation of Safai Mitras and their families in diverse social protection schemes covering food, health safety, education, and financial inclusion. These include the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana, eSHRAM card, Sukanya Samriddhi Yojna, Deendayal Antodaya Yojna and Jan Dhan account, among others. The program also focused on bridging the critical gap of access by setting up process for issuance of National ID cards, including Aadhaar, ration cards, and voter card, as required, to ensure eligibility for accessing and utilizing the benefits of social security programs. Through increased outreach of Government programs and social protection schemes, the partnership has resulted in reduced vulnerability and increased community resilience. It has, further, created opportunities for safe, sustainable, and dignified livelihoods.
Mobilising Safai Mitras to drive behavior change.
Over time, we have also recognized that Safai Mitras are key drivers in promoting behavior change and ensuring that households consistently segregate waste. They are pivotal in sustaining household-level efforts as waste moves through the value chain, by ensuring proper collection, handling and management. Through interactive training sessions, we have equipped them with technical skills for waste management, and provided essential protective gear like gloves and masks.
Safai Mitras have been provided access
2.5x
government social protection schemes.
Best Practices From The Ecosystem
Case Study
Stree Mukti Sangatana
Context
Within the already vulnerable informal sector, women Safai Mitras face additional layers of marginalization. Gender-based discrimination, social stigma, and patriarchal norms restrict their access to economic opportunities, education, and healthcare. Women Safai Mitras often earn lower incentives, bear disproportionate household responsibilities, and face heightened risks of harassment and violence. Their reproductive health is also compromised due to inadequate sanitation facilities and lack of protective gear. Moreover, societal expectations confine them to traditional roles, limiting their mobility and agency within the waste value chain. As a result, women Safai Mitras remain trapped in a cycle of poverty, invisibility, and exploitation.
Innovation
Through Parisar Vikas initiative established in 1999, Stree Mukti Sangatana, organized women into Self-Help-Groups (SHGs) and federations to provide clear pathway for Safai Mitras to gain durable income in the waste picking sector. Additionally, they were trained to become zero waste experts. Today, these federations are 5,000 women strong.
Furthermore, Stree Mukti Sangatana partnered with Bhaba Atomic Research Centre to train the women Safai Mitras in the technicality of composting. Their primary goal was to create a sustainable model for zero waste that would include labor friendly initiatives, an integrated waste management system, and a low cost-energy friendly waste disposal system. What this initiative also did was put focus back on womens’ contribution to the entire supply chain of waste management. The women who run the federations have emerged as leaders in driving zero-waste initiatives. They were able to get IDs from the government recognizing them as waste pickers, get official government documentation like Aadhar and Ration Cards, and even able to enroll their children in schools.
“Technical jobs, or expertise in anything related to technology is considered to be the man’s domain”, says Jyoti Tai, President of Stree Mukti Sangatana. “We wanted to change this for these women, we wanted them to be the technical experts in their field, so we trained them in compositing and how to operate the machinery too”.
Key Takeaways
Formal organisation of communities through SHGs and federations to unlock autonomy and economic empowerment
Fostering a strong community of change agents to drive sustained actions on zero waste efforts
Recognising women in the informal sector is key to unifying the waste management ecosystem
Formal organisation of communities through SHGs and federations to unlock autonomy and economic empowerment
Fostering a strong community of change agents to drive sustained actions on zero waste efforts
Recognising women in the informal sector is key to unifying the waste management ecosystem
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Lessons Learnt
Ensuring safety and fair compensation is important.
Occupational safety is paramount for Safai Mitras, yet many circularity initiatives don’t yet prioritize it. As systems become more formalized, embedding safety measures at the core of such initiatives is essential. Additionally, ensuring consistent livelihoods through fair market prices for the waste they collect is crucial; Safai Mitras must receive the true value of their contributions to foster economic stability and enhance their quality of life.
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