Re Sustainability Limited (ReSL) is celebrated International Women’s Day by highlighting the contributions of an all-women conservancy team in the Manali zone of Chennai. The team is comprised of 400 women who serve as sanitation workers, waste collectors, supervisors, waste collection vehicle drivers, composting team members, and managers at various levels. They utilize advanced technology to manage municipal solid waste and are responsible for keeping the Manali zone clean.
ReSL is raising awareness about the crucial role that women play in waste management and inspiring others to follow their lead through their #SheLeadsthechange campaign. The Manali all-women team has achieved a consistent 90%-96% waste segregation at source within a year of its formation and has diverted only 1.5MT of inert waste to landfills from the Municipal Zone on any given day.
The team has also created public awareness about waste segregation and responsible waste disposal through its Information – Education – Communication (IEC) public education model. They deliver this model door to door to educate families on the importance of source segregation of waste. The Manali all-women team’s efforts have resulted in making waste segregation a part of the residents’ lifestyle, with one local resident saying, “We cannot go back to the old days of non-segregation.”
The success of the Manali model is a valuable lesson in sustainability for the entire country, demonstrating how women can bring about meaningful change towards the mission of a cleaner and greener India. The question is raised of whether other cities are ready to adopt the all-women conservancy model and become trailblazers for sustainability and gender equity.