Reuse and upcycling of common household goods has been an integral part of Indian culture. Taking a cue from this shared habit, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has launched a mega campaign titled – ‘Meri LiFE, Mera Swachh Shehar’ to champion the RRR’s of waste management - Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is undertaking the Meri LiFE, Mera Swachh Shehar campaign in three regions initially, with plans for future upscaling in other locations. The program is establishing three Reduce, Reuse and Recycle stores with a focus on establishing collaborations with stakeholders, models for discarded material collection and recycling, awareness creation, incentivizing citizens, and promoting discarded material-to-art initiatives.
The program will follow a unique approach to re-classify most of what is called as waste to discarded items. Much of the products categorised as ‘waste’ today are not ‘waste’ but just discarded items no longer of utility to one person or household but can be of use to someone else by simply refurbishing or upcycling.