Secondary Sorting

Secondary Sorting

Shuddham employs two women from marginalized communities to sort the recyclable waste collected by the Beautifiers by type:  newspapers, cardboard, thin plastic, medium plastic, hard plastic, bottles, foil, dry batteries, etc.  The sorted materials are then sold to middlemen who go on to resell to larger recyclers, making the secondary sorting operation sustainable.

Plastic bags and newspapers

Light bulbs, insect repellent bottles, foil 

A Beautifier

Shuddham “Beautifier”

Shuddham “Beautifiers” go door-to-door in the mornings to collect segregated waste from each household in the northern third of the Raj Bhavan ward of Pondicherry. One amma (”mother” in Tamil) rides the specially-designed tricycle while another collects the compostable waste (which goes directly into the tricycle) and recyclables (which go into the large red bags). In the afternoons, they patrol the streets to pick up any litter that may have accumulated since morning. Once a week, they do a “thorough” cleaning, including cleaning out the gutters. The difference in the cleanliness of the streets patrolled by the Shuddham Beautifiers and the other municipal contractors is marked.