UNDP-HUL partnership to formalise 50,000 waste workers across 50 Indian cities

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in India and Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) on Monday announced an expansion of their partnership to build more inclusive waste management systems, with plans to support 50,000 Safai Mitras and strengthen circular economy infrastructure across 50 Indian cities by 2028.

The new phase builds on seven years of collaboration between the two organisations and seeks to connect different stages of the waste value chain, including segregation, collection, recovery, recycling and the reintegration of recovered materials into the economy. A key focus will be the formalisation of waste workers and improvement of their livelihoods, alongside the development of urban waste systems that can eventually be replicated by cities and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) across the country.

Four priorities for next phase

The expanded programme will work across four interconnected areas — social inclusion, urban waste systems, recycling efficiency and knowledge transfer. Under the social inclusion component, the partnership aims to improve livelihoods and formalise the work of 50,000 Safai Mitras, with particular emphasis on women. The initiative will also focus on their dignity, occupational safety and access to social security.

The urban systems component will cover 50 cities and ULBs, with efforts directed at creating efficient and decentralised end-to-end waste management networks capable of operating at scale. Improving segregation of waste at source will form another major part of the programme. The partners intend to increase recovery and recycling efficiency while encouraging circular practices across waste value chains.

The fourth component will involve developing open-source practical toolkits that can be used by government agencies, research institutions and other organisations seeking to adopt similar models. The partnership forms part of HUL's Project Circular Bharat, an initiative aimed at improving plastic circularity through end-to-end recycling systems designed to remain financially viable. UNDP will serve as the institutional partner, supporting policy alignment, implementation and efforts to scale successful models.

Safai Mitras at centre of initiative

Project Utthaan, which focuses specifically on the social inclusion of Safai Mitras, will remain central to the collaboration. Its interventions are intended to address occupational safety, dignity and social security for workers who perform a critical role in India's waste collection and recycling ecosystem.

The programme is aligned with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and is being implemented in coordination with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. B.P. Biddappa, Executive Director and Chief People, Transformation and Sustainability Officer at HUL, said the continued collaboration with UNDP would focus on creating inclusive circular economy models that could eventually be expanded across cities.

He said improving the dignity, safety and social inclusion of Safai Mitras would remain an important part of the programme while stronger waste systems would help create lasting impact.

UNDP India Resident Representative Angela Lusigi said inclusive circular economy models could simultaneously improve environmental sustainability and social equity. She said Safai Mitras remained central to urban waste systems and that the transition towards more sustainable cities must ensure frontline workers were included rather than left behind.

24,000 workers supported so far

Over the past seven years, the UNDP-HUL partnership has supported around 24,000 Safai Mitras. It has also enabled waste segregation across approximately 1.20 lakh households through more than 20 partner organisations operating across five states.

The expanded target of 50,000 workers and 50 cities represents a significant scaling-up of the initiative as India grapples with growing volumes of municipal and plastic waste generated by rapid urbanisation and changing consumption patterns. Greater segregation at source is particularly important because mixed waste reduces the amount of material that can be efficiently recovered and recycled, while also increasing pressure on landfills.

Bringing informal waste workers into more structured systems can also improve occupational conditions while preserving their important role in collection, sorting and material recovery.

The initiative supports the objectives of the Centre's Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 and is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on sustainable cities and communities and responsible consumption and production. By combining recycling infrastructure with worker formalisation and knowledge-sharing, UNDP and HUL aim to develop models that municipalities can adapt as they move towards more resource-efficient and inclusive urban waste management systems.