A working zero-waste system
Open dumping and burning completely eliminated, 70%+ households segregating at source, 2 tons of dry waste processed daily via ECO-MAC — a cleaner, healthier panchayat environment.
Solid waste management program (CSR – Renault)
A CSR partnership with Renault Nissan Automotive India Pvt. Ltd. (RNAIPL) — a decentralised zero-waste model built with the Padappai & Urapakkam peri-urban panchayats of Kanchipuram district, Tamil Nadu.
3,000+
Households covered
70%+
Two-bin segregation compliance
2
Tons of dry waste processed daily
20+
Sanitation workers empowered
The project
What this project set out to do
Project mission
Establishing a comprehensive decentralised solid waste management system as a replicable zero-waste model for peri-urban panchayats — achieving household-level segregation, eliminating open dumping and burning, and empowering sanitation workers and SHG women through scientific waste processing and recycling systems.
Funded by Renault Nissan Automotive India Pvt. Ltd. (RNAIPL) under its CSR programme, with Coodu Trust as the on-ground implementing agency, the project built a complete waste management system with the Padappai & Urapakkam panchayats of Kanchipuram district. Sustained awareness campaigns and door-to-door education brought 3,000+ households into two-bin segregation, reaching over 70% compliance, while the ECO-MAC (Eco-friendly Material and Composting) system processed 2 tons of dry waste daily.
The system was designed to sustain itself: over 20 sanitation workers were trained, equipped with safety gear and given additional income from recyclables, while SHG women were integrated into the waste management value chain and youth programmes built community ownership. Now Coodu Trust's strongest showcase case study for decentralised waste management, the model directly informed the ₹3.92 crore Zero Waste Dindigul proposal to SBI Foundation, covering all 48 wards of Dindigul city.
- Source segregation
- Door-to-door collection
- On-site composting
- Worker & SHG empowerment
Why this work matters
The challenge on the ground — and our answer
The challenge
Open dumping and burning, with no system in place
Without an organised waste service, household waste in peri-urban panchayats ends up dumped in the open or burned — with no segregation at source and no reliable collection.
Our response
A complete decentralised system, built from scratch
Door-to-door collection for 3,000+ households, 70%+ two-bin segregation, ECO-MAC processing 2 tons of dry waste daily and on-site composting — open dumping and burning completely eliminated.
The challenge
Sanitation work without dignity or fair reward
A waste system only lasts if the people who run it benefit from it — yet sanitation workers typically lack training, safety gear and any share in the value of what they collect.
Our response
Empowerment that makes the system self-sustaining
Over 20 sanitation workers trained, equipped with safety gear and earning additional income from recyclables recovered through ECO-MAC — with SHG women integrated into the value chain and youth engaged for community ownership.
At a glance
The essentials
- CSR partner
- Renault Nissan Automotive India Pvt. Ltd.RNAIPL — with Coodu Trust as the on-ground implementing agency
- Period
- 2022–2023Successfully completed
- Location
- Padappai & UrapakkamPeri-urban panchayats, Kanchipuram district, Tamil Nadu
- Beneficiaries
- 3,000+ householdsPlus sanitation workers, SHG women & youth
- Local stakeholders
- Panchayat governmentsPadappai & Urapakkam panchayats
- Status
- Showcase modelCoodu Trust's strongest case study for decentralised waste management — informed the ₹3.92 crore Zero Waste Dindigul proposal to SBI Foundation
Outcomes
What the project changed
Empowerment that sustains the system
20+ sanitation workers with safety gear, dignified conditions and income from recyclables — and SHG women earning in the value chain, making the system self-sustaining.
A replicable model with a scale-up pathway
Positioned as a replicable zero-waste model for village panchayats in Tamil Nadu — directly informing the ₹3.92 crore Zero Waste Dindigul proposal to SBI Foundation covering all 48 wards of Dindigul city.
Get involved
Support zero-waste communities
Help us take decentralised waste management to more panchayats — cleaner streets, dignified work for sanitation teams and livelihoods for SHG women across Tamil Nadu.