Action Research Proposal for Cooperative Source-Segregated Waste Collection
Submitted to the National Institute of Local Government (NILG), this proposal outlines a six-month action research project to implement cooperative source-segregated waste collection. The initiative aims to formalize informal waste pickers and introduce a two-stream household segregation system in Rajshahi City Corporation
Research Overview
This Expression of Interest (EOI) was submitted to the National Institute of Local Government (NILG) in August 2026 by the BUP Research Centre (BRC), coordinated by Daahuk's Md. Magfi Reza Siddique. The research addresses the critical challenge of urban waste management in Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC). Currently, household waste is disposed of in mixed streams, which heavily contaminates organic waste and makes it unsuitable for efficient composting or biogas generation. Additionally, informal waste pickers currently operate in hazardous conditions without legal recognition, personal protective equipment, or stable income models.
To solve these issues, the proposed six-month action research will formalize 8 to 10 informal waste collectors into a legally recognized, self-managed cooperative equipped with safety gear and collection carts. The study will implement a two-stream source segregation system for organic and dry waste across 500 households in the South Residential zone. The goal is to achieve 75% household compliance and divert 250 to 300 kilograms of clean organic waste directly to central municipal treatment zones per day. By introducing a monthly household service fee of BDT 50 to 70 alongside revenue from recyclable scrap sales, the project seeks to establish a localized, self-sustaining financial model that minimizes the direct administrative burden on the local government.