E-guard - Pakistan

E-guard is educating the community about the harmful impacts of solid waste mismanagement and providing a waste management solution that is dependent on community participation and involvement.

Key facts:

More than 70,000 people have directly benefitted from this activity;
E-guard serves more than 10,000 low-income houses.

The problem

One of the major causes of the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is waste mismanagement.

The solution

To address this, a neighborhood waste collection and recycling program called E-guard was established. This program is being implemented in low income and neglected areas of Rawalpindi. The waste is collected and brought to a central location for segregation. E-guard’s waste collectors sort the waste into three different categories: recycling, green waste and rejected waste. Twenty-five percent of recycled waste is separated and sold to scrappers. Sixty per cent of green waste is put into natural composting pits and made into organic fertilizer. Fifteen per cent of rejected waste is properly disposed through government services.

Helping the planet

Composting one tonne of organic waste can reduce a half tonne of greenhouse gases (CO2e) every year. E-guard collects and properly disposes of 10 tonnes of waste daily. In the coming years, it hopes to increase to 30,000 tonnes of waste per day.

Helping people

Waste collectors are collecting garbage in neighborhoods and sorting it at a central facility, increasing their daily income and reducing waste in their community. People in the community are engaged in this activity. They volunteer and participate in awareness walks, sanitation weeks, painting competitions etc.

Scaling Up

During the pilot phase, this project started in Ghaziabad and served 1,000 households. After completing the pilot phase, it scaled up to the ward level and 152 project management committees formed. These are women-based committees implemented the project in their neighborhoods.