What rural women say about their role in household waste management in Kashmir? A case-series approach

Abstract

ABSTRACT One of the Millennium Development Goals is to ensure environmental sustainability. Farm households and rural communities are significant producers of manure, crop residues or mixed solid waste daily. Waste management is an important issue in any society and is still a challenge for local authorities in many parts of the world. For many women involved in agriculture, assessing their role in farm and household waste management is essential. This paper seeks to understand the problem of SWM in rural communities and the role of women in its management using a case-series approach. The women who participated in the research reported several challenges regarding the disposal of waste, lack of awareness and information, burnout and degrading of their status and effects of community attitudes and social norms. Some reported the need for collective community efforts and commitment to manage waste in rural areas. Government agencies should introduce policies/schemes for better management. More than this, people should accept the situation and cooperate with existing institutions. Government should create landfill sites in rural areas, put dustbins in place and run programmes for changes in public behaviour.