Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL) has successfully transformed waste management in Palashbari, one of Assam’s oldest towns, through a three-year community-led initiative that diverted more than 3,200 tonnes of waste and significantly improved local sanitation systems. Implemented under GCPL’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme in partnership with the Palashbari Municipal Board and Feedback Foundation Charitable Trust, the project also remediated 1,550 tonnes of legacy waste and achieved 98.5 per cent source segregation across households, institutions and markets.
Earlier, Palashbari generated nearly two tonnes of mixed waste daily, most of which was dumped in open sites, causing environmental damage and health concerns, particularly along the Kalbhug River. Under the initiative, a Mini Sanitation Park comprising a Material Recovery Facility and a Micro Composting Centre was established, while Swachhata Sathis were deployed across all 10 wards for door-to-door collection of segregated waste.
Pakzan Dastoor, Head – Sustainability & CSR, Godrej Industries Group, said the initiative demonstrated how collaboration between citizens, authorities and partners can create sustainable community systems. The programme also focused on behavioural change, conducting nearly 30,000 awareness sessions reaching over 92,000 residents. Around 25 garbage-vulnerable points were cleared, and four-bin segregation along with home composting was introduced.
The success of the Palashbari model is also drawing attention from other urban bodies, including the North Guwahati Municipal Board, and could influence waste management approaches in Guwahatias well where rapid urbanisation has increased pressure on municipal waste systems. Experts say the decentralised approach adopted in Palashbari may offer a practical model for improving waste segregation and processing in growing urban centres such as Guwahati.