Bringing waste pickers into formal solid-waste management serves both social justice and environmental goals. Examine.

Waste pickers do the first and cheapest part of India's recycling, yet they have no formal recognition or social security. This is despite the Second Labour Commission and the SWM Rules, 2016 acknowledging them [1]. Since June 2024, the NAMASTE scheme has included them as a target group [1]. Formalisation can deliver justice and sustainability together, but only if recognition leads to real livelihoods.

Social justice dimension

• Identity and dignity: The Waste Picker Enumeration App was launched on World Environment Day 2025 to profile 2.5 lakh waste pickers [1]. It gives them occupational ID, which makes "invisible" workers rights-holders (Art. 21, life with dignity).
• Health and safety: Verified waste pickers number 2,81,117. They have received 1,84,118 PPE kits and 1,04,729 health cards [2], and the AB-PMJAY premium is covered [1].
• Livelihood and collective strength: Capital subsidy through NSKFDC and support for waste picker collectives move them from scavenging to enterprise [1]. This is in line with the Article 43 goal of decent conditions of work.

Environmental dimension

• Higher resource recovery: Collectives are to run 750 Dry Waste Collection Centres [1]. This improves the segregation and recovery of recyclables.
• Less landfill burden: Integration with Material Recovery Facilities puts their sorting skills inside the municipal value chain [1]. This supports the circular economy (SDG 12).

Gaps that limit both goals

• Coverage lag: Only about 37% of verified waste pickers hold health cards [2]. Enumeration is also still short of target [1][2].
• Thin economic support: Capital subsidy had reached only 707 beneficiaries by Aug 2025, and that figure covers all sanitation workers [1]. Without income, recognition stays symbolic.
• Funding horizon: NAMASTE runs only up to 2025-26 [1]. That puts continuity at risk.
• Displacement risk: Formal contracts given to private firms can push out informal pickers unless ULBs reserve roles for them.

Informal picker → ID + health cover → Collective → DWCC/MRF contract
     (dignity)        (security)       (voice)      (green livelihood)

Formalisation pathway linking justice and environment

Conclusion

Formalisation turns one group of workers into both beneficiaries of welfare and partners in the environment. The next phase of NAMASTE should do three things:

• give waste picker collectives guaranteed access to DWCCs and MRFs
• increase capital subsidy
• add outcome indicators, such as income and tonnes recovered

That would deliver on SDGs 8 and 12 and the constitutional promise of dignity.