Transforming Tirupati: Empowering Waste Pickers for a Sustainable Future

The Dalit Bahujan Resource Centre, in partnership with Tetra Pak, launched a pioneering project in Tirupati to empower waste picker communities. This initiative focuses on enhancing livelihoods, education, health, and environmental sustainability, significantly improving the lives of workers often marginalized in the city's waste management ecosystem.

In a significant move, the Dalit Bahujan Resource Centre (DBRC), in collaboration with Tetra Pak, unveiled an initiative titled 'Enhancing Access to Entitlements, Livelihoods, Health, and Environmental Sustainability' in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. The project aims to uplift waste picker communities, crucial yet often overlooked sectors of urban waste management.

The initiative focuses on four principal pillars: enhancing livelihood by providing tricycles and pushcarts, offering education through Outdoor Learning Centres (OLCs), improving health practices, and building capacity through training on health and leadership skills. Since its November 2024 inception, over 90 children have benefited from OLCs, while 150 waste workers have gained crucial skills.

The project's achievements include donating 10 steel pushcarts to the Tirupati Municipal Corporation and launching a recycling awareness campaign to foster responsible waste disposal among 10,000 residents. Beneficiaries like Mrs. Ramulamma and K. Subramanyam have shared transformative impacts on their lives, highlighting the initiative's significant role in fostering greater economic stability and social inclusion.

(With inputs from agencies.)