Wellbeing Out Of Waste (WOW)

The Wellbeing Out of Waste (WOW) initiative promotes responsible waste management practices by educating communities on waste segregation, recycling, and environmental conservation. The project encourages individuals, institutions, and local communities to adopt sustainable habits that reduce environmental pollution, conserve natural resources, and minimize the volume of recyclable waste reaching landfills.

Through awareness campaigns, community participation, and capacity-building activities, MARI has fostered environmental stewardship while supporting cleaner neighbourhoods and improved public health. The initiative also strengthens community engagement by encouraging citizens to participate in sustainable waste management practices that contribute to long-term environmental sustainability.

Objectives

Create awareness among children and communities about recycling and environmental conservation.
Promote the practice of source segregation of waste at the household and community levels.
Maximize the recovery of dry recyclable waste and reduce recyclable waste reaching landfills.
Encourage community participation in sustainable waste management and environmental protection.

"Through the Wellbeing Out of Waste initiative, MARI promotes sustainable waste management, environmental conservation, and community participation to build cleaner, healthier, and greener communities."

Interventions

Saved 347.66 cubic metres of landfill space.
Reduced 554 metric tonnes of CO₂ emissions.
Conserved 3,230,043 kilolitres of water.
Saved 184,539 units of energy through recycling and waste recovery initiatives.

Achievements

Trained 25 Basti Mitras on documentation, government schemes, MIS, online grievance redressal, and community development.
Established and strengthened 28 Basti Vikas Manches with 225 members, of whom 85% are women, to address community-level issues.
Facilitated the submission of 17,437 applications for essential government documents, enabling 10,595 individuals to obtain error-free documents and helping communities save approximately ₹1.15 crore.
Supported 3,084 applications for government welfare schemes, enabling 237 individuals to receive benefits worth approximately ₹11.5 lakh.
Assisted 147 children in securing scholarships and admissions to quality educational institutions, including Navodaya, KGBV, Social Welfare, Tribal Welfare, Minority Residential Schools, and Gurukulam Schools.
Successfully operated three Child-Friendly Learning Spaces (CFLS) providing early childhood education, supplementary learning support, and nutritious meals for children from vulnerable communities.
Conducted WASH awareness programmes, installed new borewells, repaired existing borewells, improved drainage systems, and renovated community toilets, benefiting hundreds of families through improved access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene.
Supported 177 women with emergency medical assistance and 43 women and children with transportation support for accessing government hospitals and diagnostic centres.

“The Wellbeing Out of Waste project has successfully instilled a culture of responsible waste management, environmental conservation, and community participation, paving the way for a cleaner and more sustainable future.”