Mumbai Sanitation Worker Sushila Sable Receives 2023 Kusum Paritoshik for Environmental Initiatives

Sushila Sable, a Mumbai-based environmental activist and leader of the 'Parisar Bhagini Vikas Sangha,' has been honored with the 2023 Kusum Paritoshik Award for her efforts in advancing organic waste management and biogas production at the community level. Her work contributes to reducing methane emissions and addressing climate change.

Sable has faced numerous challenges, from drought to poverty. Despite this, she has become the president of a self-help group empowerment organization. Starting out as a waste-picker for survival, she has now gained well-deserved recognition. Her story is one of overcoming hardship and dedicating herself to environmental improvement. Sable said, "In 1972, my family migrated to Mumbai due to drought, and at the age of 10, I began waste picking with my parents. No one was educated, and we were lost in Mumbai, a few people discovered waste picking pays you and that's why my parents took the job."  

Despite being unable to attend school, she developed a passion for waste management. In 1998, she became a part of Stree Mukti Sanghatana, an organization that advocates for the rights and livelihoods of waste pickers."Self Help Groups were created for rag pickers from Dadar to Mulund areas, and I participated, that is where I learned financial literacy," added Sable. In 2004, she became president of the Parisar Bhagini Vikas Sangha, a federation of waste picker women.

For 20 years, Sable worked as a waste picker, initially earning 10 paise per kg of trash and making 15 to 20 Rs. per day. In 2001, after joining forces with Stree Mukti Sanghatana, her daily earnings increased to 100 Rs. Sable is now renowned for her environmental activism, focusing on the importance of local wet waste composting and departmental-level biogas production to reduce toxic methane gas emissions. Leading the 3500 women of the 'Parisar Bhagini Vikas Sangathan', she conducts outreach activities, advocating for the segregation of dry and wet waste in various buildings.

Sable has made progress in overcoming her challenges, but life remains difficult for her, her family, and many other sanitation workers. As a representative of her organization, Sable has been advocating for rights and benefits such as identity cards, scholarships for their children, healthcare schemes, and retirement pensions. "While we have begun to receive scholarships, access to healthcare and pensions still elude us. Our earnings are solely dedicated to daily survival, leaving no room for saving for old age. The government must acknowledge and address this reality," Sable added.

Sable's son, formerly a sanitation worker, has now graduated and started a small business. While proud of his son's accomplishments, Sable wonders how much brighter his future could have been with more opportunities."I did my best, but I aspire for a future where neither our children nor their children have to toil in such conditions anymore," she said.

Sable is the President of the Indian Waste Picker Society. She represented India at the United Nations Framework for Climate Change conferences in Copenhagen in 2009, Beijing in 2010, Durban in 2011, Rio in 2012, and Brazil in 2014. "Copenhagen conference was a new world for me. I was invited to speak on India's way of treating waste and the role of people in waste management. It was a proud moment, stated Sable." During these global gatherings, she advocated for the pivotal role waste pickers play in mitigating climate change. Sable is also an active member of the International Alliance of Waste Pickers (IAWP). IAWP represents 460,000 waste pickers across 34 countries.

During a conference in Brazil, Sable encountered a study highlighting India's higher proportion of informal workers compared to other nations. Inspired by this revelation, Sable, along with her organization, is actively exploring ways to improve the welfare of such workers. Concurrently, Sable is dedicating herself to learning English to broaden her understanding of global issues. "Attending international conferences has shown me that language can be a barrier," she explains. "That's why I, along with several other members of the organization, am diligently working to enhance my English proficiency."

Sable dreams of a future where nobody needs to handle waste directly, waste pickers are recognized for their vital role, and everyone has access to quality education and respectful lives. She sees the Kusum Award as an opportunity to raise awareness about the struggles and contributions of waste pickers. "While receiving the award all I could think about was where I was and where I have come, and the path is yet so uncovered," added Sable.