Assessment of Waste Management Practices and its Impact on the Village Ecosystem in Himachal Pradesh, India

Solid waste management is a persistent global issue that begs critical attention. India oversees an estimated 960 million tonnes of solid waste generation annually. The lesser developed Indian rural villages have no systematic means of solid waste management, exposing the village communities to severe health repercussions. The purpose of this study is to conduct an impact analysis of the current waste management and sanitation practices followed in the village Indpur, Himachal Pradesh, India. Participatory research methods were adopted based on Human Centered Design approach to deeply understand the persistent challenge, its impact on the community and propose a sustainable intervention to address the identified problem. The study proposes a novel solution in the form of plastic blocks that is capable of addressing the twin challenge of plastic waste management and sanitation. Done as part of the Live-in-Labs® program, the study manages to address a multi domain rural challenge through a human centric and sustainable development approach that concerns various Sustainable Development Goals of the UN.