Finding New Purpose in What We Discard

The PIB backgrounder highlights the evolution of the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) and Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) towards circularity, resource efficiency, and the 'Waste to Wealth' approach. It details grassroots and municipal initiatives across India, such as home composting in Vijayawada and Chandigarh, community learning centres like 'Swachh Badi' in Siddipet, transforming invasive water hyacinth into handicrafts by women under the Assam State Rural Livelihoods Mission in Morigaon, processing coconut waste into compost, coir ropes, and cocopeat in Patna, and repurposing industrial and household scrap into public spaces and clean energy infrastructure in Chandigarh and Delhi.