Hariyali Hub Karachi: A Pilot Project for Sustainable Waste Management and Also a Leading Example for Other Cities in Pakistan

Karachi is the biggest city of Pakistan with a population of over 20 million, struggles with waste crisis. If you walk through the city, you will see big piles of waste everywhere. The city generates tons of garbage every day and it ends up in landfills or clogging waterways. This not only cause pollution but also contribute to climate change. In the city where waste management is a growing concern, the Hariyali Hub pilot project offers a solution by turning waste into valuable resource while addressing environmental and social challenges.

The waste crisis in Karachi

The increasing population of city means more waste generation. Without effective management systems city is sinking under piles of waste, this leads to pollution, contamination of water resources and release methane which is a greenhouse gas, 25 times more powerful than co2. This waste ends ap in landfills, emitting harmful gases and exacerbating climate change issue.

But the Hariyali Hub Project offers a hopeful solution to this crisis, it is a collaboration between the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) and the Uk based NGO Tearfund which is known for its work in alleviating poverty and community work. It is a pilot initiative to transform Karachi s’ waste management practices.

What is Hariyali Hub?

It is not just a waste management project, it is a vision for sustainable and circular economy. The project recycles and repurpose the waste materials instead of burying or burning it. It starts with waste segregation and then turns it into valuable sources, they encourage public to throw their dry and wet waste separately. They compost kitchen waste into organic fertilizer which can be used in gardening and agriculture. Plastic waste including polythene bags is recycled into eco-friendly waste bins that are sold to generate revenue for project. These waste bins help reduce plastic pollution in the city.

Waste as Resource in tackling Climate Change

Recycling and waste management seem as a small action but actually they have big impacts in combating climate change. When waste is dumped it emits methane gas into the atmosphere which is a big contributor to global warming. Hariyali Hub by reducing the waste sent to landfills, helps to minimize methane emissions. Composting of food waste and recycling of plastic protects the environment and resources. Through these efforts this project is helping to reduce carbon footprint and promote sustainable waste management practices.

Empowering Communities through Job Creation

In this big city where unemployment rate is very high, this pilot project is empowering the communities by creating job opportunities for local residents. Through sorting and processing waste the project has already created many direct jobs for local workers. They are involved in hands-on process of recycling and waste management. Along with income they also get sense of ownership in the work they are doing for their community and environment. Through these jobs project is promoting sustainability and environment protection. Workers at the hub learn these skills of recycling, composting and management and helping to spread the importance of waste segregation and recycling. This project by directly involving locals is creating a model that can be replicated across Karachi and other in cities of Pakistan.

Raising Awareness

A very important part of the Hariyali Hub project is waste segregation at the household level. The project has collaborated with local communities and has introduced a two-bin system to help residents sort dry and wet waste. For example, paper and plastic and metal are dry waste, and food scraps are wet. Sorting waste this way makes it easier and more effective to recycle.

Residents are actively participating in the recycling process by separating waste at home. In addition, it not only reduces the volume of waste going to landfills, but it also makes recycling more cost effective. As a result, the project can capture more waste out of landfills and decrease the transportation costs related to garbage being hauled to waste dumps in the cities and consequently diminish the city’s overall carbon emissions.

The Hariyali Hub has also launched the “Saaf Karachi Meri Zimmedari campaign” (meaning Clean Karachi, My Responsibility) aimed at educating people to segregate waste. The project is educating residents on the importance of proper waste disposal and recycling through door-to-door outreach, and community events. This involvement of citizens in this project is creatively creating a culture of responsibility and sustainability at a community level.

A Model for other cities:

Hariyali Hub’s success on a small scale in its pilot phase shows that this model actually does work. Yet, there is still a need to scale up the project to make a real dent in Karachi’s waste crisis and its contribution to climate change. This means replicating the model in more cities and eventually all over Pakistan.

The Hariyali Hub project is scalable only with a joint investment from both the public and private sector. However, the Sindh govt, along with private companies, can provide the required infrastructure and finance the project for its expansion just like they did with Tearfund company. More communities should be involved in waste segregation and more recycling plants should be built to cope with increasing volumes of waste.

However, if the model proves successful at a larger scale, Karachi could become a leader in sustainable waste management in South Asia. The lesson learned from this pilot project can be a guide to other cities struggling with the same set of waste and environmental challenges.

Conclusion Hariyali Hub pilot project provides us a glimpse of what a sustainable, eco-friendly Karachi would look like. They are making an impact on the city’s future, by turning waste into resources, reducing carbon emissions, creating green jobs and increasing awareness of recycling. Though much work needs to be done, but Hariyali Hub project shows that change is possible. With continued investment and community involvement, Karachi can serve as model to demonstrate what cities can do to address both climate change and waste management while generating opportunities for local residents. The future is green, and Karachi is taking its first step towards it by following one piece of waste at times which the other cities can also do.