Circular Bharat: India transforms waste into economic opportunity

In India, waste management has evolved from simple disposal to a growing circular economy, driven by government initiatives and entrepreneurship.

Twenty-five years ago, India began regulating municipal solid waste, initially focusing on collection and disposal. The 2014 Swachh Bharat Mission, a national cleanliness campaign, expanded waste collection to cover approximately 98 percent of urban wards and increased waste processing from 16 to 80 percent between 2014 to 15 and 2025 to 26.

This progress created a demand for workers across the waste management sector, including drivers, sorters, engineers, and technicians. New regulations, such as the Solid Waste Management Rules of 2016 and 2026, encouraged segregation, processing, and recycling, shifting the focus from landfilling to resource recovery. Wet waste now becomes compost or biogas, while dry waste yields materials like paper and plastics. A new type of entrepreneur, the “wastepreneur,” is emerging, developing technologies for automated sorting, plastics recovery, and digital traceability.

Government programs, like the Swachhata Startup Challenge, have supported these businesses, with the first cohort processing over 63,000 tonnes of waste and creating over 2,000 jobs. India’s informal waste sector, including waste pickers and scrap dealers, is also being integrated into this system, with efforts to provide training and support. Analysts estimate this circular economy could reach $2 trillion by 2050 and create approximately 10 million jobs.