UP government’s Swachh Bharat push: Kanpur’s Ramaipur village sets model by turning waste into wealth with plastic unit and composting centre

In the Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, villages are now stepping up alongside cities in the mission for cleanliness. As part of an initiative by the UP government, 16-gram panchayats across nine blocks have been selected to ensure household waste collection. One such example is the Ramaipur gram panchayat in the Bidhnu block, which is now being seen as a model village for both cleanliness and self-reliance. The village has established a system that not only manages waste effectively but also generates income opportunities. District magistrate visited Ramaipur to review the model On 8th September, Kanpur District Magistrate Jitendra Pratap Singh visited Ramaipur gram panchayat to inspect the Plastic Waste Management Unit and Resource Recovery Centre. These facilities have been established under Phase 2 of the Swachh Bharat Mission (Rural). According to the DM, the centres are proving to be a boon for the panchayat and have helped the village move towards a cleaner and more sustainable lifestyle. Built at a cost of ₹16 lakh District Panchayati Raj Officer (DPRO) Manoj Kumar explained that the panchayat spent nearly ₹16 lakh to set up this unit. Machines were purchased to handle plastic and solid waste, and since then, waste management in the village has gained momentum. जनपद कानपुर के बिधनू ब्लॉक की रमईपुर ग्राम पंचायत अब सिर्फ स्वच्छता का नहीं, बल्कि आत्मनिर्भरता का भी उदाहरण बन चुकी है। 2,000 किलो वर्मी कंपोस्ट बेचकर ₹25 हजार की कमाई की ₹16 लाख से करवाया केंद्र का निर्माण ₹30 का मासिक यूजर चार्ज जमा कर रहे ग्रामीण… pic.twitter.com/o3UaMAC788— Government of UP (@UPGovt) September 15, 2025 In just the past few months, around 9.5 tonnes of plastic waste have been collected and processed through baling and shredding. To make this sustainable, the panchayat signed agreements with Nature Next Foundation and local scrap dealers to sell the processed plastic. From plastic alone, the panchayat has already earned ₹6,000. Compost adds another source of income Waste segregation has also helped in the production of vermicompost, which has opened another stream of revenue. Nearly 2,000 kilos of vermicompost prepared from organic waste have been sold, bringing in more than ₹25,000 for the panchayat. Apart from generating money, the project has given the village a new image of cleanliness. Every day, waste is collected from about 425 households using vehicles arranged by the panchayat. Earlier, villagers used to dump garbage in open spaces, but now it is collected directly from their doorsteps and transported to the Resource Recovery Centre. The special thing is that about 350 families are also paying a monthly user charge of Rs 30 of their own free will. This has added more than ₹1.5 lakh to the panchayat’s OSR (Own Source of Revenue) account.  After the development of this model, there is a lot of happiness among the villagers. The villagers are not only enjoying a cleaner environment but also feel proud of contributing to the effort. A model for other panchayats, said DM Singh District Magistrate Singh praised the initiative and said that this model of Ramaipur is no less than an inspiration for other panchayats. This model will not only protect the environment but also increase the income of the panchayat.  With this project, Ramaipur has shown how rural India can turn waste into wealth, bringing both cleanliness and self-reliance hand in hand.