Raji Ajwani

Bio

(2021) My current research interests lie at the intersection of policy, technology and circular economy. I have spent the past three years studying the processes involved in municipal solid waste collection by spending a lot of time speaking with and understanding the challenges faced by generators, waste pickers (in India there are nearly 5 million waste pickers who are mostly women and young children – the Ted Talk covers this issue), policy makers, brand owners. By connecting the existing policy guidelines with theory, we have tried to present some approaches that can:

• generate data ( missing at the moment),
• allow the implementation of extended producer responsibility and
• make brand owners accountable for the waste generated by their brands, incentivize good practices

Since April-May 2020, I am working on a Project called " Mission IBPs" ( IBPs= Industrial By-Products) . These are huge pollutants and are generated in millions of tonnes . Currently there is no policy in place to direct their disposal and management in India.

1) TedX Talk : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m_3JXjlmNM

Publications

Peer-reviewed articles and book chapters

1. Towards a circular economy for packaging waste by using new technologies: The case of large multinationals in emerging economies Journal of Cleaner Production
2. Research Paper ( Journal - Resources, Conservation & Recycling) : https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344921000756?dgcid=author. This discusses the issue of soiled sanitary napkins / pads and the issues and challenges involved in disposing this type of bio waste. In India nearly 1 billion soiled sanitary pads are discarded every month. Each pad takes nearly 500-800 years ( approx) to break down into microplastics which pollute common pool resources. Each sanitary pad contains equivalent of 3-4 plastic bags worth of plastic. Waste pickers routinely come in contact with soiled sanitary pads and diapers ( which contain human discharge and body fluids). These women have no access to medical care, no minimum income, benefits and Covid has made this situation worse.
3. https://books.emeraldinsight.com/page/detail/The-Role-of-Microfinance-in-WomenThe-Role-of-Microfinance-in-Womens-Empowerment/?k=9781787144262
4. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042814031036
5. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1075425317303538
6. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&profile=ehost&scope=site&authtype=crawler&jrnl=09708448&AN=97666247&h=a%2FFI8NR7rMgYlTLsFr2vIuQYITaeS%2BpF%2FNDVPNXH15qFHnh9YTRi%2F2QT%2BAPdOTUAIDlBUCpeo0ixMoIqMMTw7g%3D%3D&crl=c
7. https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/978-1-137-54468-1_20

Other publications

1. Fruits of our Labour : Organic mango cultivation by tribals ( adivasis) in Gujarat ( India)
2. Buds of Hope : Organic Jasmine cultivation by tribals in Maharashtra
3. How self help groups empower poor rural Indian women
4. https://www.google.co.in/amp/s/www.thequint.com/amp/story/voices/opinion/solid-waste-management-biomedical-waste-covid-infection-crisis-health-disaster-waste-pickers-protectionm Covid Crisis could worsen until Waste workers get PPE and Insurance

1. Meet Padma Bombale an onion farmer from Maharashtra , fighting the odds
2. https://www.magzter.com/stories/Science/Down-To-Earth/PURE-TRASH

Videos

1. Interview with women ragpickers
2. Meeting Proceedings of a self help group in Maharashtra (India)

More Information

1. https://www.linkedin.com/mwlite/in/raji-ajwani-ramchandani-20b07715
2. https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/people/raji-ajwani
3. https://www.cps.iitb.ac.in/people/raji-ajwani-ramchandani/ ( I completed my Post Doc on Jan 11 2021)