Locations
Management of Plastics Waste and Circular Interventions on Plastics in South, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific
Related Materials
Impact
Partners: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE), Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), FICCI-RECEIC (Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy), CSOs working with waste workers
Focus Area: Circular Economy, Solid Waste Management, Empowering Waste Pickers, Livelihood Diversification, Inter-local government unit collaboration
Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 1, SDG 5, SDG 8, SDG 10, SDG 7, SDG 9, SDG 11, SDG 12, SDG 3, SDG 6, SDG 13, SDG 14, SDG 15, SDG 17
Geographical coverage: The initiative will be implemented across selected locations in Noida and Greater Noida within the National Capital Region (NCR), and in Pune District, Maharashtra.
About the Project
The TCCF India project is part of a regional initiative across South, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific to tackle plastic waste through inclusive and circular solutions. With a focus on empowering informal waste workers and driving systemic change, the project integrates social protection, responsible sourcing, and national capacity building to advance India’s circular economy transition.
PROJECT Objective
- Social Protection for Waste Workers
- Plastic Waste Management
- Policy and Capacity Building
- Awareness and Knowledge Sharing
Output 1: Ensured the successful enrolment of 10,000 waste workers in government social protection programmes by addressing access barriers and strengthening service linkages.
Output 2: Enhanced awareness about rights and entitlements for 50,000 waste workers through outreach and support via Helpline.
Output 3: Channelized 8,000 MTs of responsibly sourced plastic waste through value chain partners.
Output 4: Strengthened national capacities and developed comprehensive guidelines for effective plastic waste management.
Targeted Impact
Indicator 1: Successful enrolment of waste workers in government social protection programmes - Scheme Linkages (October 2025)
Total enrolled: 121
Male: 58, Female: 63
Indicator 2: Enhanced awareness about rights and entitlements for waste workers through outreach and Helpline support
Helpline Registrations: Male: 338, Female: 357
Achievements so far
Empowering Waste Workers through Social Protection
- The National Helpline (NAMASTE) for Safai Mitras (14473) has been officially launched under the NAMASTE Scheme with support from Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE), aiming to support over 10,000 waste workers by connecting them with identity services, health coverage, social security schemes, and other government entitlements.
- A Letter of Agreement (LoA) was signed between UNDP India and NSKFDC, formalizing collaboration with (MoSJE) to enhance financial inclusion and livelihood access for informal waste workers.
- On-the-ground implementation of social protection models has been initiated, targeting 3,000+ waste workers for onboarding into formal welfare systems through facilitation and awareness efforts.
Scaling Responsible Sourcing in the Plastics Value Chain
- A multi-stakeholder roundtable part of RECEIC–UNDP Knowledge Series
- Roundtable on Responsible Sourcing of Recycled Plastic was convened to foster partnerships and co-develop actionable strategies for embedding responsible sourcing principles into Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) frameworks. Special focus was placed on the use of recycled plastics and integration of informal sector actors. - A roundtable was convened for the Responsible Sourcing Network, India (RSNI)—a multi-stakeholder initiative by UNDP in India, The Circulate Initiative, and the Alliance of Indian Wastepickers. The discussion focused on strengthening collaboration for transparent and ethical supply chains. RSNI aims to advance responsible sourcing, integrate human rights and sustainability in business practices, and promote inclusive value chains that empower informal workers.
- Engagement with two major recycling hubs in India is underway to pilot the responsible sourcing framework, integrating environmental safeguards and human rights due diligence into day-to-day operations.
- A set of tools and templates for human rights compliance and ethical reporting has been developed to support recyclers and aggregators in implementing best practices, covering occupational safety, wages, working hours, and child labour concerns.
Partnership Development & Strategic Positioning
- Stakeholder partnerships have been initiated with key private sector entities and civil society organisations (CSOs), laying the groundwork for scalable collaboration and co-investment in circular solutions.
- Technical and policy engagement with MoSJE, MoHUA, and MoEFCC continues to shape national frameworks and enable replication of successful models across the country.
