Understanding Waste Worker Inclusion in Municipal Circularity Initiatives examines how India’s transition towards more circular urban waste systems is reshaping the lives and livelihoods of the informal workers who have long sustained recycling, material recovery, and landfill diversion. Drawing on case studies from Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, and Goa, the report explores how policy frameworks, institutional arrangements, contracting models, and socio-economic conditions determine whether waste workers are meaningfully recognized, protected, and able to participate in emerging municipal waste systems.
