In a rapidly urbanising world, how do you think our relationship with waste needs to evolve?
The pace at which our cities are growing is staggering, but the way we deal with waste hasn’t kept up. For most people, once the bin is emptied, the story ends. But it doesn’t. That waste ends up somewhere, often in a landfill or the ocean, polluting our water and air and harming our environment.
I believe our relationship with waste has to shift from detachment to ownership. We just need more people to start asking, “Where is this going?” That one question changes how you consume, discard, and think. This shift is quiet, practical, and sustained, something that cities like ours desperately need.
Cities will always produce waste. But they can also be spaces of regeneration if we’re willing to redesign how we look at value, and how we choose to act on it. When people see that simple, everyday actions can directly reduce environmental harm, the relationship with waste begins to shift meaningfully.
What are some misconceptions people have about waste management and recycling, especially in urban settings?
One of the biggest misconceptions is that once waste is out of sight, it’s no longer our problem. There’s this very common idea that “someone else will deal with it”. That once it leaves our bin, it’s sorted. But unfortunately, that’s not how it works.
Many people also assume that recycling is foolproof. They believe that once they throw something in the recycling bin, it will definitely be recycled. But the truth is that if waste isn’t segregated properly at the source, much of it ends up unrecyclable, even if the infrastructure exists.
There’s also the perception that sustainable waste practices are expensive or impractical, either too complicated or too costly to adopt in daily life. But the real cost lies in doing nothing. When the right information and alternatives are available, I’ve found that people do care and they’re willing to change, which is a good sign.
How can composting and segregation at source become a mainstream practice in residential societies and corporate spaces?
Mainstreaming begins with normalisation. Composting and segregation need to be the default and not an exception. For that, the key is to build systems that are easy to adopt and hard to ignore. The biggest breakthrough comes when sustainability feels practical and not overwhelming.
At Green Practices, we focus on making sustainable choices feel natural. What we’ve found is that clarity and structure make all the difference. If residents know exactly what goes where, and staff are trained, things fall into place surprisingly quickly. We support both on-site and off-site composting and recycling models, depending on space and bandwidth. And we make sure compost is returned to clients so they can see the value their waste is creating. In corporate setups, even pantry waste can be separated and processed. Once people experience the results in the form of healthy gardens and cleaner surroundings, it becomes something they’re proud of.
What role do you think citizens and communities play in reducing landfill dependency?
Communities and citizens play a foundational role with incredible influence on how waste is managed. The challenge often lies in the assumption that impact can only come from large-scale reforms. But most of what ends up in landfills starts in homes, offices, shops, and societies. If segregation doesn’t happen there, no amount of backend infrastructure can fix it. When one society or corporate starts composting or managing waste well, the surrounding ones often follow. It creates quiet a ripple effect and we’ve seen this time and again.
Even during festivals, the choices people make matter. Every time someone chooses an eco-friendly Ganpati idol over a Plaster of Paris (PoP) one, it sends a message that tradition and responsibility can co-exist. Our eco-friendly Ganpati initiative follows the same philosophy. Instead of adding to water pollution through immersion of PoP idols, we offer biodegradable options that return safely to the earth. With the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) now taking a stronger stand on this issue, it’s heartening to see both policy and community action moving in the same direction.
How can waste be transformed from a problem into a resource for regeneration and sustainability in cities?
It starts with how we look at waste. If we see it only as something to be removed, we’ll keep filling landfills. But if we ask, “What else can this become?” the possibilities open up.
With the right systems, and more importantly, the right intent, we can create a loop where waste fuels life, rather than threatens it. To me, that is where hope lies.
