Slums are often defined by squalid conditions including filthy clogged drains, piles of trash and little to no facilities for proper garbage disposal. But the Ragdapada Basti of Sarojini Nagar, Kandivali West in Mumbai has managed to rise above conventional stereotypes by keeping the periphery clean, and becoming the first zero-waste slum in the metropolis.

The slum now segregates almost 250 kilograms of garbage every day and even composts half of the wet waste. Moreover, volunteers have been assigned for waste collection, cleaning drains and for maintaining public toilets within the slum.

Back in 2021, BMC picked the slum to implement the Swachh Mumbai Prabodhan Abhiyan initiative in order to streamline waste disposal system and for the segregation and composting of the garbage. With the joint effort from the civic bodies and NGO Shree Aastha Mahila Bachat Ghat, the slum was able to achieve the target in just over a year.