The Kolkata Solid Waste Management Improvement Project (KSWMIP), supported by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) aims at improving the overall municipal solid waste management system for the six west bank municipalities of Champdani, Baidyabati, Serampore, Rishra, Konnagar and Uttarpara - Kotrung of the Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA) in Hooghly District in the State of West Bengal, India. On one side the project would involve the setting up of engineered facilities for waste storage, composting and disposal while on the other side it would try and improve the primary and secondary collection systems with active participation of the municipalities and the community. The project would also assist the municipalities to increase the efficiency of waste transportation and set up scientific facilities that will help in recycling / reusing waste through composting and for the disposal of the rest in a common sanitary landfill. In addition, the project will lay a strong emphasis on involving the local communities to participate in the project as key stakeholders.

Project Vision
The vision of the project is to create a scientifically designed and environmentally sound waste management infrastructure that would enable the urban citizens of the six municipalities to enjoy a clean environment, thereby contributing to the protection of health of women, children and the community in general.

Uniqueness of the Project
The KSWMIP, when implemented, will be unique in many ways. For the first time in the country, this project aims to create common solid waste management infrastructure for a number of municipalities for shared disposal of waste. The regional landfill to be located in Baidyabati would be the final disposal point for waste from all the six municipalities. In addition, employing a socially oriented approach, the project will lay a strong emphasis on involving the local communities to efficiently collect and transfer waste from their neighborhoods.

Stakeholder Oriented Approach
The project has a very strong stakeholder mobilization component. The project would take into consideration the views and opinion of the urban community before building the waste management infrastructure so that adequate ownership is created amongst them. The project would also aim to create higher levels of awareness and education amongst the community in order to encourage them to participate actively in any decision making process that would affect their immediate living environment.