Warangal city’s battle with plastic waste has received new stimulus with the signing of an agreement between the Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) and ICLEI South Asia recently.

As a first step after the signing of the agreement, ICLEI South Asia conducted a two-day training session on quantification and characterisation of waste, with a focus on plastic waste. Among the 22 participants were waste pickers, GWMC sanitary staff, and women from self-help groups. Ms. Gundu Sudha Rani, Mayor, GWMC, inaugurated the training session and encouraged the municipal sanitary officials to provide support to the on-ground assessment of the municipal solid waste management (MSWM) system in the city.

The participants of the training session were later actively engaged in an 18-day on-ground survey and assessment, conducted in September, for extensive quantification and characterisation of municipal solid waste (MSW), with a focus on plastic waste.   All major points of waste generation, such as residential, commercial and institutional areas and public spaces, were covered.  Plastic waste was also categorized on the basis of resins, followed by brand auditing, and the MSW samples from important locations were sent for chemical analysis.

This comprehensive assessment will form the basis for future planning of the MSWM system in the city and the implementation road map.