Every morning before sunrise, thousands of informal waste workers step into streets, alleys and dumping grounds across India to collect discarded plastic, metal, cardboard and glass. Their labour often goes unnoticed, but experts say these workers are silently sustaining India’s recycling economy and helping reduce climate pollution.
A recent analysis highlights how informal waste pickers form the backbone of India’s waste management system even as climate and urban policies continue to overlook their contribution.
India generates millions of tonnes of solid waste annually, much of which ends up in overflowing landfill sites. Many of these are open dumping grounds rather than scientifically engineered landfills, causing severe environmental damage. As organic waste decomposes without oxygen, it releases methane a greenhouse gas significantly more potent than carbon dioxide in the short term.
Satellite studies conducted in 2026 identified some of India’s largest methane emitting landfill sites in cities such as Mumbai, Secunderabad and Delhi. Massive garbage mountains at Ghazipur and Bhalswa in Delhi were found releasing large methane plumes into the atmosphere, intensifying concerns over urban waste management and climate change.
Yet researchers and labour groups argue that one of the strongest defences against rising landfill waste already exists in the form of informal waste workers.
According to estimates by the International Labour Organization and the Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group, India has between 1.5 million and 4 million informal waste pickers. Most belong to marginalised communities, including Dalit, Adivasi and Muslim populations, and work without formal contracts, safety equipment, insurance or social protection.
Despite these conditions informal workers are estimated to handle nearly 60 to 70 per cent of urban recyclable waste in India. Around 70 per cent of plastic recycling reportedly depends on the informal sector. Their daily work prevents huge volumes of recyclable material from reaching landfill sites, directly helping reduce methane emissions and environmental pollution.
Environmental groups say the waste economy functions through an interconnected chain. Waste pickers first separate recyclable items from mixed garbage, kabadiwalas purchase and sort these materials further, aggregators collect bulk recyclable waste, and authorised recyclers finally process it into reusable products. Without the initial sorting done by waste pickers, far more waste would end up dumped in landfills.
However, current waste management policies and climate discussions rarely recognise this contribution.
Government programmes such as the Swachh Bharat Mission and Extended Producer Responsibility frameworks focus heavily on formal recycling systems, waste-to-energy projects and landfill management. Critics argue these systems often fail to integrate informal workers who already possess deep local knowledge and experience in waste recovery.
Experts warn that replacing informal workers with private contractors or mechanised systems without proper inclusion could weaken recycling rates instead of improving them.
One of the strongest examples of successful inclusion comes from Pune’s SWaCH cooperative. Under this model, more than 4,000 waste pickers work as registered service providers under the municipal corporation, serving nearly 1 million households. Workers receive protective equipment, health support, insurance and improved earnings while helping the city reduce waste management costs.
Similar models in cities like Bengaluru and Pune have shown that recognising waste pickers as environmental service providers can strengthen both livelihoods and climate outcomes.
Researchers say India climate policies must move beyond landfill cleanup and methane capture alone. They argue that waste pickers should be recognised as essential participants in urban climate action, recycling systems and circular economy planning.
As India works toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving waste management infrastructure, experts believe integrating informal waste workers into official policy frameworks may prove critical for achieving sustainable and equitable environmental solutions.