As India faces a mounting solid waste crisis, Indian Pollution Control Association (IPCA) convened the National Conference on Transformative Approaches for Sustainable Solid Waste Management at The Ashok, New Delhi. With over 25 years of grassroots experience, IPCA has emerged as a pioneering force in advancing decentralized and community-based waste solutions.
The event was organized under Project S.O.R.T. (Segregation Of waste for Recycling and Treatment), a CSR initiative of the Swarn Lata Motherson Trust (SLMTT). Since 2018, this initiative has worked to promote source segregation, onsite waste treatment, and behavior change communication, especially among Bulk Waste Generators (BWGs), aligning seamlessly with the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and India’s urban sustainability goals.
In his virtual address, Shri Tokhan Sahu Hon’ble Minister of State, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India expressed “We need community-centric solutions to realize our Zero Waste vision. I thank IPCA and SLMTT in laying the groundwork for lasting change by actively engaging youth, citizens, and institutions to bring sustainable change in organic waste management.”
Addressing the conference as Guest of honor, Shri Raja Iqbal Singh, Mayor of Delhi, stated:
“If every colony resolves to become a zero-waste society, Delhi’s garbage mountains will be history. When waste is processed at the source, there’s no need for dumping grounds. The government is ready to support — but real transformation begins with people’s participation. That’s how Delhi can become a clean, sustainable, and inspiring capital.”
The conference also saw participation from eminent dignitaries including: Shri Raja Iqbal Singh, Mayor of Delhi, Dr. Binay Kumar Jha, Director, Swachh Bharat Mission, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Satyendra Kumar, Director, Circular Economy, NITI Aayog, Smt. Vandana Rao, IAS, District Magistrate, West Delhi and other eminent dignitaries from corporate and educational sectors.
In his keynote address, Ashish Jain, Founder & Director of IPCA, remarked: “Solid waste is no longer just a municipal issue — it has become a national emergency. At IPCA, we are committed to converting this crisis into an opportunity through collaborative and actionable solutions. We urge the government to adopt a centralized policy framework that empowers decentralized action, helping Delhi become clean and green again.”
Over 250 participants attended the conference, including senior officials from BMC, PCMC, MCG, MCD, NIUA, and CSR leaders from SBI Card, SLMTT and KPMG.
The event featured three thematic panel discussions, exploring: Bridging the policy gap between centralized and decentralized waste management, Region-specific challenges in managing organic waste, The role of corporate social responsibility in accelerating community-led models
Experts from NITI Aayog, NDMC, IIT Delhi, NIUA, and leading private sector organizations shared data-driven insights and case studies. The conference concluded with the felicitation of individuals and organizations making outstanding contributions to environmental sustainability. Active volunteers of the project S.O.R.T. were felicitated with certificates for their outstanding contribution throughout the execution of this initiative.
 convened the National Conference Waste Management.){kind=link}