Design Solution:Mumbai

Dharavi, Mumbai is one of Asia's largest slums. It is home to close to 1 million people who have moved there in search of better job opportunities and a better life. In Dharavi there is a huge lack of waste management and almost every street is littered with waste. All of this waste then causes various diseases, especially during the floods of the monsoon season. However, Dharavi does have a thriving recycling industry. The only problem with this is that all of the recycling centres are quite small and cannot process that much waste.

Main Problem: Lack of Waste Management

Solution ideas:

1. Recycling centre - This would be like a large factory space which would allow the existing recycling businesses to expand and maximise the amount of watse they can recycle. It would also minimize the amount of waste in the streets as more of it would be used in recycling. Also a second floor could be added as housing to make up for the housing lost.           
2. Alternative energy from waste - This would take the non-recyclable waste and convert it into energy that can then be used by the residents of the slum. The problem with this idea is that it would take up a lot of space and as it is like an energy plant so it might be a bit unsafe to the residents around that are and the housing lost cannot be incorporated.
3. Recycling/garbage bins - This is the simplest solution and would benefit more people as it takes up the least amount of space and can be spread accross the entire slum. All of the recyclables would be sent to the recycling centres so it would also help them maximize their outputs and increase their profits. It would also minimize the amount of garbage (which causes disease) in the streets as the residents would have somewhere to put all their waste. This solution would also be made from bamboo found around the slumso it is made entirely of recycled materials.

The solution that I have chosen is solution #3 as it will benefit almost the entire community and would give them a place to dispose of their waste without it causing disease or flooding. Also the recycling centres would directly benefit as they would recieve all the waste put in it.