Mohali : Roundglass Foundation has successfully made 350 villages in Punjab litter and plastic-free by implementing its innovative community-led Waste Management Programme. The Mohali-based NGO recently inaugurated its 350th
Waste Management site in Amampur village, Patiala, marking a significant milestone in its mission to address the state's growing waste crisis through sustainable, community-driven solutions. The project, implemented in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, highlights the Foundation's dedication to enhancing the quality of life in rural communities through innovative environmental initiatives. The landmark 350th Waste Management system represents a comprehensive network that now serves 66,013 participating households across Punjab, generating approximately 9,000 tons of compost annually from over 35,000 tons of raw wet waste per year. This contributes to the reduction of CO₂ and other harmful greenhouse gas emissions each year. If not converted to compost, this waste would have found its way to Punjab’s landfills, increasing their burden and contributing to air, water, and soil pollution. Each village site, serving an average of 200 households, produces around 20 tons of compost yearly, creating a sustainable circular economy model that transforms waste into valuable agricultural resources.
"Punjab faces a mounting waste management crisis that demands immediate, innovative action," said Vishal Chowla, Leader, Roundglass Foundation. "Our decentralised approach to waste management, which involves segregating waste at the household level, is enabling a behaviour change among rural communities. It is revolutionising the way they handle waste by implementing village-level solutions that save energy, reduce the burden on already overwhelmed landfills, and empower local communities to take ownership of their environmental health. We are deeply grateful to the people of Punjab and to our donors for embracing this program and working alongside us to create cleaner, healthier villages for future generations,” Chowla added.
Addressing Punjab's waste management challenge
Punjab's rural areas face an escalating waste management crisis, with inadequate or non-functional waste management systems leading to improper disposal practices that pollute the environment and threaten public health. The state's existing landfills are reaching capacity while environmental contamination from improper waste disposal continues to affect groundwater, soil quality, and air purity. With daily waste generation in villages expected to rise substantially over the next decade, the situation poses a significant public health emergency requiring immediate intervention.
Decentralised model drives sustainable impact
Roundglass Foundation's Waste Management Programme works directly with local communities, panchayats, and district and state administrations to implement a decentralised segregation model that emphasises composting and recycling. Started in 2018, the Waste Management programme is part of Roundglass Foundation’s larger mission of enabling the health and wellbeing of the people of Punjab through scalable and sustainable on-ground programmes in three key areas: Environment and sustainability, youth development, and women’s equity. This programme is currently operational in 350 villages, including Raisal, Mohi Kalan, Kheri Bir Singh and Mojpur and has impacted the health and wellbeing of more than 66,000 households.
Explaining the benefits of the Waste Management Programme, Parminder Kaur, from Raisal village in Punjab, said, “Throwing waste used to be a headache for us. The women or the children of the house were assigned the unpleasant task of carrying it from home and dumping it outside, anywhere.” She added, “This would make our village look dirty and create unhygienic surroundings. But since we joined hands with Roundglass Foundation, our village is free of litter and plastic, and our pond is also free of waste. The Foundation team made us realize the importance of segregating waste at home and creating compost from wet waste.
Decentralised waste management creates efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable waste management systems tailored to each community's needs. Each waste management site is designed to handle the daily waste generation of participating households while converting organic wet waste into high-quality compost that enhances soil fertility and supports sustainable agricultural practices.
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