Circular economy is by the poor

We produce waste, destroy land and livelihoods, and then provide no option to the very poor but to make a business out of the same waste we have created and dumped

Sunita Narain 

Sunita Narain

I am looking at massive mounds of garbage — but with a difference. This garbage — from your and my house and countless others — has been sorted, segregated and made into almost neat piles of different stuff.

I am at what can be called Asia’s largest wholesale market for junk — located in Delhi’s Tikri Kalan — obviously on the outskirts of the city, because our waste must be out of sight, out of mind. We then go to the Haryana side of the market, located in Bahadurgarh district, adjoining Delhi. Here again, there are mounds and mounds of sorted and ...

Note: Subscription will be auto renewed, you may cancel any time in the future without any questions asked.

Total Amount
Rs. 149.00
Requires personal information

What you get?

ON BUSINESS STANDARD DIGITAL

  • Unlimited access to all the content on any device through browser or app.
  • Exclusive content, features, opinions and comment – hand-picked by our editors, just for you.
  • Pick 5 of your favourite companies. Get a daily email with all the news updates on them.
  • Track the industry of your choice with a daily newsletter specific to that industry.
  • Stay on top of your investments. Track stock prices in your portfolio.
  • 18 years of archival data.
  • Requires you to share personal information like date of birth, income, location amongst other fields. This information alongwith your contact information will be shared with the partners associated with this program, who contribute towards subsidizing the offer. By subscribing to this product you acknowledge and accept that our Partners may choose to contact you with offers of their products and services.
  • This is an optional offer - Not comfortable with sharing personal data - please opt for the full price offer which requires you to share minimal information
First Published: Mon, June 17 2019. 00:24 IST