Household waste segregation is key to sustainable development. In India, household and community participation in waste segregation is evolving and limited. Context specific and locally relevant interventions are needed to increase segregation rates. In this Indo-Swedish project we will:

1. document and understand the current situation of solid waste
   management at household and at municipal level, waste segregation, receptiveness, preparedness, challenges and barriers in a medium level city in central India
2. test the effects of volunteer based informed and improved information on sorting and waste segregation at the household level, using a cluster randomised trial. 850 households in 2 clusters in Ujjain city of Madhya Pradesh will be recruited to the study and randomized to two groups, 1) control clusters with only basic information on waste sorting 2) Intervention group with
   basic information with added volunteer support. We will follow all households for 18 months, conducting weekly visits to weigh segregated waste. The primary outcome is average proportion of
   segregated waste. The proposed study will provide information on the benefits and challenges of implementing a volunteer-based system and will contribute to understanding household waste management for societal and environment sustainability.