Reinventing waste management in india 

In Collaboration with Sri City 

 

Background

Sri City is a world-class Integrated Business City in India that aims to become one of the “five best cities to live and work” in the country. Built from the ground up, Sri City is re-thinking every aspect of a modern city: from energy usage and city planning, to water management and beyond. The city is considered a model for any new national urban development project.

 

Sri City was master-planned by renowned urban planners Jurong Consultants of Singapore. It now meets the standards of a world-class city due to its physical infrastructure, social and educational facilities, and use of alternative sources of energy. 

 

INTENT 

Over a period of 5 years, Sri City aims to reduce garbage generation by 50%, implement proper waste management strategies (including recycling and reuse), and transform citizens' attitudes towards waste management.


Developed in functional partnership with the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the city has the benefits of government support and private sector efficiency. The infrastructure has been planned and built to enable and absorb the exponential growth in the region. 

 

The key zones within Sri City were designed for services, eco-friendly manufacturing, education, and lifestyle, which bring alive the concept of “Work-Live-Learn-Play.”

 

IMPACT GOALS

The Sri City management team worked with ChangeLabs to work on strategies in order to avoid the pitfalls of existing Indian cities, and to identify approches that are innovative and sustainable in the long-term.

 

The main goal during this collaboration was to create a game-changing intervention to reduce garbage generation by 50% and transform citizens' attitudes towards waste. The intent of the project was to improve consumption and waste management habits, sanitation, and better community living.  

  

Approach 

A team was tasked with designing the concepts, strategies, and tangible interventions (technologies, services, programs), to transform citizen consumption and waste management habits, ultimately leading to waste reduction, more efficient waste management practices (including recycling and reuse), improved sanitation, and a strengthened sense of community awareness and responsibility.

 

The team focused on creating affordances for a scaled intervention that could alter individual and societal behavior. Team members developed a plan that delivered value simultaneously on the social, economic and environmental fronts.