Can behavioural changes improve and encourage waste segregation in India?

India faces a colossal waste management problem, which is exacerbated by poor segregation and sorting practices, especially in the country’s urban parts.

Globally, the country ranks fourth in the Plastic Mismanaged Waste Index. It generates about 1.51 lakh tonnes of municipal waste daily, yet only 47% of it undergoes proper processing.

Municipal corporations across India insist on garbage segregation – that is, sorting waste into wet and dry – but they have had limited success in making this work on the ground.

Understanding behavioural patterns linked with waste segregation, and deploying nudges informed by behavioural science can go a long way in making some change.

Over the years, improper disposal has increased the volume of total waste in landfills across the country, contributing further to higher levels of short-lived climate pollutants such as methane.

The waste sector contributed to 4% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in 2018. Given the environmental and health implications, waste management should be urgently addressed.

Behavioural barriers, facilitators

Effective waste segregation can be difficult due to the confusing terminology of “dry” and “wet”. Items labelled “wet” can be considered as dry waste and vice versa. This lack of intuitive classification complicates accurate sorting.

For instance, items labelled as “wet”, like used paper napkins, might be more suitable for dry waste disposal. Conversely, seemingly dry items, like leftover food, fall under the wet waste category.

There is also an underestimation and a lack of understanding about the immediate and long-term harmful effects of improper waste disposal. Awareness campaigns are often linked to mitigating climate change and reducing pollution. These goals can be perceived as distant or irrelevant where lower importance is assigned to future outcomes.

Inconsistency among family members in segregating waste further complicates matters. Some family members properly dispose of waste, while others do not. Ingrained habits and status quo bias pose challenges, as it can be difficult to break established patterns and adopt new habits.

The resistance to waste segregation is fuelled by the perception that it is a high-effort activity with an unclear payoff, coupled with the belief that municipal workers and not households themselves are responsible.

The idea that waste segregation demands extra time and effort, possibly requiring higher salaries for domestic workers, adds to this resistance. Smaller quantities of waste generated by households can also lead to a dismissive attitude.

The absence of convenient waste segregation facilities, like easily accessible bins and flexible waste collection schedules, intensifies the perceived difficulty. Navigating these complexities requires a combination of system-level support and behavioural interventions.

Making structural changes

At the macro-level, clear communication from sanitation authorities is vital to ensure that people understand and follow guidelines, emphasising the importance of proper waste disposal and the consequences of non-compliance.

Adequate financial support for cleaning staff at the local level is necessary to maintain an efficient waste management system.

Increasing awareness among sanitation workers about segregation is equally crucial to enhance their communication and ensure adherence to segregation practices. Infrastructure improvements, such as the availability of separate bins and recycling facilities, must also be made to facilitate successful segregation.

Coordination and instructions from resident welfare associations can bring about community efforts, ensuring that everyone is aligned towards the same goal.

Government mandates, penalties for non-compliance and awareness campaigns can play a pivotal role in encouraging public participation by creating a sense of responsibility and understanding the collective impact on the environment and climate.

Behavioural change interventions

Behavioural change at the level of household and individuals, requires different strategies to overcome existing barriers and facilitators. To begin with, there should be intuitive language with clear and descriptive terms like “organic waste”, “kitchen and garden waste”, “compostable” for wet waste and "recyclables" for dry waste. This reduces the cognitive load at the time of disposal.

In awareness campaigns, the emphasis should be on connecting segregation practice to personal and immediate goals – for example, disease reduction, greener neighbourhoods, safety of stray animals, local pride, instant compost for residents – compared to long term or intangible ones, such as climate change and recycling.

These campaigns should also highlight the impact of non-segregation on the lives of sanitation workers to instil a sense of accountability and responsibility.

At the community level, recruiting “waste champions” to lead efforts within neighbourhoods can help motivate citizens to contribute to better waste management. They can help organise educational programmes for children, neighbourhood clean-up events, thus fostering shared responsibility.

New social norms could also be brought about by using WhatsApp groups to share simplified information on segregation: thumb rules on what goes in which bins, especially when it comes to difficult items such as paper napkins, dry dals, take away packaging, dry flowers and the like while also creating peer pressure for compliance.

Effective waste segregation requires a collaborative effort. A multifaceted approach that combines community involvement and policy adaptability, and uses behavioural change strategies can contribute in generating a positive impact.

Pooja Haldea is Senior Advisor and Muskan Jain is Research Associate at the Centre for Social and Behaviour Change, Ashoka University. Views expressed are personal.