Bihar: Household garbage has been turned from a burden into a source of revenue by the Lakhwa Gram Panchayat in the Siwan region of Bihar, in a trailblazing effort towards rural sanitation and digital innovation. Lakhwa, which is in the Nautan block, is now the first hamlet in India where a mobile application is used to buy household rubbish.

The Model of “Kabaad Mandi”
This program, which was started under the Lohia Swachh Bihar Abhiyan (LSBA), enables villages to register their trash information on the “Kabaad Mandi” app. After receiving the information, Asraj Scape Solution Private Limited, the authorized agency, comes to the home at a prearranged time to weigh the garbage and provide direct payments at predetermined rates. Transparency, ease of use, and dependability in garbage collection have been guaranteed by this method.

Segregation is encouraged by fixed rates.
The success of the initiative is attributed to its transparent pricing structure, which has accelerated the adoption of trash segregation at the home level, according to Suman Lal Karn, the State Consultant for Information, Education, and Communication (LSBA). The rates as of right now are:

Tin: Rs 10 per kilogram; plastic bottles: Rs 15 per kg

Large Cardboard: 8 rupees per kilogram

Medium Cardboard: 6 rupees per kilogram.

White Mixed Plastic: 5 rupees per kilogram

Small Cardboard: 4 rupees per kilogram

Paper: 3 rupees per kilogram

Black plastic costs Rs 2 per kilogram.

From Trash to Wealth
For scientific disposal, collected garbage is sent to garbage Processing Units (WPU) and Plastic Waste Management Units (PWMU). After that, the garbage is recycled into long-lasting items like laptop bags, women’s purses, diaries, key rings, cabinets, and benches. In addition to protecting the environment, this method creates jobs locally.

Impact on the State
Shravan Kumar, the minister of rural development and transportation, emphasized that the state has advanced waste management significantly. At present, Bihar has developed Plastic Waste Management Units in 171 places and Waste Processing Units in 7,020 Gram Panchayats. Bihar sets an example of cleanliness and self-sufficiency that other states are starting to follow by systematically getting rid of thousands of tons of single-use plastic.