https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

How 470 Women & One IAS Officer Turned Odisha’s Plastic Waste into Paychecks

In Odisha’s Sundargarh district, 2019 batch IAS officer Manoj Mahajan empowered 470 women to manage 360 tonnes of plastic waste, turning pollution into livelihoods and pride
Indian Masterminds Stories

It’s 7 AM in the tribal villages of Odisha’s Sundargarh district. A group of women in vibrant sarees, armed with gloves, smiles, and a sense of purpose, hop onto tricycles and electric vehicles. Their daily route doesn’t lead to offices or construction sites but to doorsteps, alleys, and markets. They are known here as Swachhta Sathis, and the work they do is changing the very way people think about waste.

Behind this movement is IAS officer Manoj Satyawan Mahajan, District Collector of Sundargarh and a 2019 batch officer. What started as a waste management challenge in hilly, scattered villages turned into a full-blown grassroots model of sustainability, inclusion, and local pride.

WHAT HE SAW AND WHAT HE DID ABOUT IT

When Manoj Mahajan took charge, he noticed something that many had accepted as normal: heaps of plastic waste lining the roads, floating in ponds, or smouldering in backyards. As villagers burned waste or dumped it into streams, it was clear that there was no proper system. No solution. And no hope that things would change on their own.

The Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) was entering Phase 2. But rural areas like Sundargarh needed more than a slogan. They needed a structure.

“In my visits, I could see the lack of awareness and the helplessness. People didn’t know what else to do with the waste,” he shared in an interview with the media.

The solution came in the form of a new district-wide initiative in 2021, titled Aama Sundargarh Swachh Sundargarh. With UNICEF providing technical support, and a new model called Urban Rural Convergence helping bridge rural-urban gaps in waste disposal, Sundargarh was ready to do things differently.

TURNING WOMEN INTO WASTE WARRIORS

But what truly gave life to the project was the women.

The district began training rural women, not just to collect waste but to run the entire chain, from door-to-door segregation to operating shredders and balers. These weren’t token jobs. These were skilled roles that made them the core of the mission.

From one segregation unit in Kuarmunda, the model expanded to 1,682 villages, covering nearly 3.6 lakh households; almost 70% of the district’s rural population.

470 women now earn between ₹6,500 and ₹7,500 per month doing work that didn’t exist in their villages before.

PLASTIC: FROM TRASH TO RESOURCE

What happens after the waste is collected? That’s where the impact becomes even more layered.

  • High-value plastic like PET bottles go to certified recyclers.
  • Low-value plastic like multi-layered packaging is sent to cement kilns as fuel or used in road construction.
  • Local Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) sort and prep everything.

So far, over 360 tonnes of plastic have been processed, and ₹17 lakh in revenue has been generated. This money goes back into maintaining the project – vehicles, training, salaries – making the entire system self-sustaining.

The project wasn’t without its challenges. With rough terrain and dispersed settlements, collection wasn’t easy. Mahajan’s team introduced customised battery-operated vehicles that made collection feasible even in the most remote locations.

RECOGNITION AND REAL IMPACT

In 2024, Sundargarh was awarded the Best Performing District in Plastic Waste Management under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin).

The investment? Around ₹14 crore.

The returns? Cleaner villages, empowered women, and a replicable model that balances environment, economy, and community.

During one of his visits, Manoj met a tribal woman who shared how her new job changed everything for her family. Once a homemaker, she now earns ₹6,800 a month, helps educate her children, and has become a respected member of her village.

LOOKING AHEAD

The district isn’t slowing down. Plans are underway to scale the program to 700 women by next year.

“This initiative is close to my heart,” Manoj shared with the media. “It’s not just about waste. It’s about respect, employment, health, and local ownership.”

Thanks to a well-thought-out system and women who believed in something new, Sundargarh today isn’t just cleaner; it’s more confident.

And all of it started with one question asked by an officer in the field:
“What if we could do this differently?”


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
DGR Job Fair
DGR Job Fair 2025 Held in Delhi to Empower Ex-Servicemen with Career Opportunities in Emerging Tech - Details Inside
omc
Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) Begins Dispatch from Dubna Mines, Strengthening Supply Chain and Industrial Growth
NFDC
NFDC Launches Free Residential 3D Animation & VFX Training for North East Youth - Here's All You Need To Know
CM Yogi
CM Yogi Adityanath Reviews Rs. 42,891 Crore Development Proposals for Lucknow Division, Emphasizes Timely, Inclusive Execution
Mahanadi River
Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai Assures Odisha of Consideration on an Amicable Solution to Mahanadi Water Dispute
MP News
Madhya Pradesh CM Dr. Mohan Yadav Pays Tribute to Pt. Ravishankar Shukla on His Birth Anniversary
ONGC_resized
ONGC Sets Record Date for Rs1.25 Final Dividend for FY25; Strengthens Shareholder Returns- Check Details
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami
PM Modi Releases 20th PM-KISAN Instalment; CM Pushkar Singh Dhami Thanks Centre for Supporting Over 8 Lakh Farmers in Uttarakhand
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Karn Satyarthi
How IAS Karn Satyarthi Transformed Gumla Through Empathy and Innovation
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi’s Take on Corruption, Reform, and Duty
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
What Most Indians Don't Know About Jim Corbett
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
BPSC Bihar police
From Lantern Light to Police Uniform: How Praveen Kumar from a Small Bihar Village Cracked BPSC to Become SDPO
From a lantern-lit village in Bihar to becoming an SDPO, Praveen Kumar's journey is a testament to resilience,...
IAS Priyansha Garg
Why Mindset Matters: IAS Priyansha Garg’s Mental Health Mantra for UPSC
After two failed prelims, Priyansha Garg cracked UPSC with AIR 31 in her fourth attempt, proving how...
Ashish Akshat
From Setback to State Topper: How Ashish Akshat Topped JPSC While Working Full-Time
Ashish Akshat from Dhanbad topped JPSC 2023, proving that resilience, discipline, and family support...
Social Media
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve: From India’s First Sanctuary to a Tiger Conservation Success Story | International Tiger Day Special
IAS Supriya Sahu Hails Mudumalai's Role in Tiger Conservation on Tiger Day. Declared in 1940, Now Among...
Mangroves
Mangroves: Nature’s Shield Against Disasters, Says Officer Parveen Kaswan on Mangroves Day - Watch His Post Here
Mangroves, with their dense, interlaced root systems, form a mesh-like structure that serves as a buffer...
Retired IPS Inderjit Singh Sidhu
Purpose Doesn’t Retire: How 88-Year-Old Retired DIG Becomes Chandigarh’s ‘Quiet Warrior’ of Cleanliness
Inderjit Singh Sidhu’s Dawn Patrol Earns Applause, Mahindra’s Praise for a Man Who Chose Action Over...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
DGR Job Fair
DGR Job Fair 2025 Held in Delhi to Empower Ex-Servicemen with Career Opportunities in Emerging Tech - Details Inside
omc
Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC) Begins Dispatch from Dubna Mines, Strengthening Supply Chain and Industrial Growth
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
IAS Karn Satyarthi
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT