Hands on Waste

Here’s an interesting read!

India is a home to around 4 million waste pickers, who divert 60-70% of urban recyclables.

In this piece, journalist Utkarsh Mishra traces the daily labour of informal waste workers, most of whom are women.

The argument is simple, a waste policy that accounts for the people who are already doing the work will definitely meet its targets.

Recognition is not a gesture but a design requirement.

Read the full article at

On Global Recycling Day 2026, we are thinking about all the opportunities that are present in front of us.

It all begins with one step of segregation at source.
Mixing our vegetable peels with that cardboard packaging diminishes the chances of it being recovered.

But when we separate it, it creates dignity, purity, and opportunity—for the people who handle it and for the planet.

One person’s trash is a designer’s masterpiece but the magic starts way before the loom.

A fascinating piece by dives into “The Materialists,” highlighting how designers like *tasinghalj are transforming textile waste through “intelligent design intervention.”

Check out their full story from their latest article.

This Women’s Day, we celebrate the hands that keep our cities moving. ♻️

To the women in waste—sorting, collecting, recycling, and leading change—your work powers the backbone of our circular economy. Your hands build cleaner streets, healthier communities, and a more sustainable future.

At Hands on Waste, we thank you for your strength, resilience, and the vital work you do every single day. 💚

Here’s to the women whose hands shape a better tomorrow.

At Hands on Waste, we believe that sustainability is as much about people as it is about the planet.

At Hands on Waste, we recognise that women from marginalised communities often face the greatest risk of financial insecurity.

We are changing that narrative by leveraging their unique skills through awareness initiatives and product-building workshops.

By integrating these talented individuals into our community efforts, we increase their earning potential while making them vital contributors to environmental health.

But it does not stop there. Giving our resources a ‘second life’ through swapping, repurposing, and thrifting improves our quality of life overall. When we value what we own, we hold onto it for longer.

This is not just a trend — this is the new way to shop.

Have you ever wondered how we drive real change at Hands on Waste? We work behind the scenes with organisations across the sustainability ecosystem to provide the following:

- Strategy building
- Communication and outreach
- Capacity development

Why? Because an informed community is a powerful one. You can count on us to challenge the stigma around waste, educate the public and ensure that everyone has a voice.

Hands on Waste has been showcased in the Compendium of Good Practices in Solid Waste Management, which the created in partnership with the

The compendium tells stories from India’s waste management sector. It covers everything from citizen movements and innovative models to creating awareness and inclusive practices.

We are delighted to be featured in this publication alongside renowned organisations and their initiatives. This gives us a special place in the larger narrative emerging from West Bengal.

In keeping with this spirit, we are developing more exciting initiatives to change the story one part at a time.

Enjoy reading the recipes here: https://lnkd.in/dDA-8bXq

The purpose of this post is not to encourage people to consume more recyclables.

It is simply a reminder of how to dispose of your waste better.

What started as a paper making experiment turned into a deeper mission - to improve the relationship we have with waste through our all-in-one studio model.

Our two main focus areas are - designing for inclusion and platform for products and events.

💻To know more about our work, keep following us as we share more details.

Who cleans up after us? — is a question we need to ask everyday as we speak about different waste management models.

On World Nature Conservation Day, we are bringing our focus to asking for a more inclusive system as we try creating our own interventions.