The Ministry of Jal Shakti has highlighted how women and transgender community members are becoming leaders in India’s sanitation and waste management sector, moving beyond traditional roles to reshape cleanliness efforts in their cities. A backgrounder released on 30 September 2026 documents initiatives across multiple states where marginalised groups have been given space and training to manage waste, operate treatment plants and lead community hygiene programmes. These efforts are now part of the broader Swachhata Hi Seva 2026 campaign, launched on 17 September, which emphasises whole-of-government and whole-of-society participation in building a clean and developed India.
Key facts
- Swachhata Hi Seva 2026 campaign launched on 17 September with theme “Swachhata Mein Sahbhag; Swachh Bharat, Viksit Bharat”
- In Loni, Uttar Pradesh, women produce incense sticks and loban cups from cow dung, employing 40-50 women during peak season
- Loni Nagar Palika Parishad earns up to 25 per cent revenue from these products
- Incense production uses 30-35 per cent dried cow dung powder, reducing wood sawdust requirement
- Patna Pink Material Recovery Facility (MRF) processes 2 tonnes of dry waste and 1.5 tonnes of wet waste daily, operated primarily by women
- Bhopal has 250 women brand ambassadors working on cleanliness and 25 ‘Bartan Banks’ providing reusable utensils for zero-waste community events
- Bhopal’s 60-member ‘Swachhata Kitty Group’ contributes Rs 100 per woman monthly for community cleanliness activities
- Uttarakhand has ‘Bainni Sena’ with 57 groups and 570 women monitoring cleanliness across wards
- In Odisha, transgender Self-Help Groups operate faecal sludge treatment plants and cesspool vehicles with minimum applicable wages and technical training
- Bhubaneswar’s Swikruti Self-Help Group operates a 75-KLD Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant at Basuaghai
Waste into livelihood: the Loni model
In Krishna Vihar Colony of Loni, a group of women identified an opportunity in a common problem. Cow dung around gaushalas and dairies typically clogs drains and creates waste management challenges. The women began converting dried cow dung into incense sticks and loban cups. What began with 8-10 women expanded significantly after a woman officer at Loni Nagar Palika Parishad recognised the potential and helped connect producers with gaushala owners for steady supply. During peak season, the initiative now employs 40-50 women.
The economic model creates multiple benefits. The Nagar Palika earns up to 25 per cent of revenue from product sales. The manufacturing process itself is resource-efficient: mixing 30-35 per cent dried cow dung powder as a base material reduces the quantity of wood sawdust required, making the production environmentally sustainable. Products have expanded beyond local markets to Delhi, Mumbai, Punjab, Gujarat and Hyderabad. During the COVID period, incense from this initiative was supplied to major brands with orders reaching Mauritius and South Africa. Future plans include producing combustible wood fuel from cow dung for cremation grounds and havans, and biodegradable flower pots made from cow dung that can return to soil as manure.
Women-led waste processing centres
In Patna, Bihar, the Pink Material Recovery Facility represents a deliberate effort to place women at the centre of waste management. The facility is operated primarily by women and supervised by a female manager. It processes 2 tonnes of dry waste and 1.5 tonnes of wet waste each day. The project emerged from a partnership between the project team and Patna Municipal Corporation and was established within three months. The distinctive pink colour and design of the facility also served an awareness function, drawing community attention to the waste management initiative.
Patna’s approach includes a ‘Cash for Waste’ scheme where citizens can bring dry waste and receive payment at prescribed rates. This creates economic incentive for participation while generating material for the recovery facility. The city has also repurposed old vehicles as mobile Pink Toilets, converting scrap into functional sanitation infrastructure. Together, these initiatives embody the principles of reduce, reuse and recycle applied to urban sanitation.
Community-led cleanliness movements
Beyond formal waste processing, women in multiple cities have organised as community mobilisers. In Bhopal, 250 women serve as brand ambassadors coordinating with the municipal corporation. They have established 25 ‘Bartan Banks’ across wards that provide reusable utensil sets for community events, ensuring gatherings operate on zero-waste principles. A 60-member ‘Swachhata Kitty Group’ collects Rs 100 monthly from each woman, pooling resources for neighbourhood cleanliness activities.
In Uttarakhand, 570 women across 57 groups organised as ‘Bainni Sena’ (Army of Sisters) monitor cleanliness in their wards, communicate resident complaints, conduct awareness sessions and coordinate between municipal administration and sanitation workers. In Shillong, the Iynnehskhem Self-Help Group transitioned from waste picking to composting. Members received training to convert wet and biodegradable waste into compost, earning the informal name ‘Meri Maidens of Marton’ for their unity.
Transgender inclusion in technical sanitation roles
Odisha has pioneered the inclusion of transgender persons in formal sanitation employment. In Cuttack, the Municipal Corporation organised transgender persons into a Self-Help Group, trained them and assigned responsibility for operating and maintaining a Septage Treatment Plant. This model expanded across the state, with Urban Local Bodies establishing partnerships with Self-Help Groups for faecal sludge, septage and solid waste management roles.
In Bhubaneswar, the Swikruti Self-Help Group operates a 75-KLD Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant at Basuaghai. Members received orientation and technical and managerial training before assuming roles. The Municipal Corporation has also engaged transgender groups as drivers and helpers in seven cesspool vehicles at minimum applicable wages, with training in health, hygiene, personal protective equipment and desludging protocols. Meghna Sahoo, President of Swikruti, described the transformation as enabling transgender members to “proudly embrace our identity and participate in the professional space.”
What this means for you
If you live in a city implementing these initiatives, you may have access to waste collection schemes that pay for dry waste, zero-waste community event options through utensil banks, or community monitoring groups addressing local cleanliness issues. These programmes create formal employment in waste management and sanitation for marginalised groups, potentially improving service quality in your neighbourhood. Citizens can participate through the Swachhata Hi Seva campaign by supporting local waste segregation, attending awareness programmes led by community ambassadors, and using zero-waste options for events.
What happens next
Swachhata Hi Seva 2026 will continue as an annual campaign to strengthen citizen participation in cleanliness efforts. Odisha’s transgender employment model is expected to expand as other states adopt the approach. Loni’s cow dung products initiative is exploring additional applications including fuel production and biodegradable flower pots.