Who is this programme for?

Academia, industry and government. In practice that means students and research scholars, EHS and sustainability teams in industry, and officials and operational staff in urban local bodies. The material is pitched so that someone entering the sector and someone already working in it both take something away.

Is it delivered online or in person?

Both. Online cohorts are capped at 15 participants and in-person cohorts at 30, so the session stays a conversation rather than a lecture. Which mode suits you is usually decided by where your team is and how much site work the programme needs.

Fees are quoted on enquiry for this programme, because the cost depends on delivery mode, group size and whether the content is tailored to your organisation. All fees are inclusive of tax. The CEWM certificate course is the exception — it has a published fee.

When does the next cohort run?

This programme is scheduled to demand rather than run on a fixed calendar. Contact the office and we will confirm the next available dates, or schedule a cohort around yours.

Can this be delivered for our organisation specifically?

Yes. Most of our delivery is tailored — for a municipality, an industry association, a university department or a single company. We adapt the case material to your waste streams, your regulatory exposure and your team's starting point.

Why isn't the full syllabus published?

The detailed module structures are our own design and we do not publish them. You will receive the full syllabus when you enquire, along with the assessment structure and a sample of the case material.

Urban Stewards Leadership Program

USLP · Leadership & governance

A professional development programme for the people who actually run municipal sanitation — officials, engineers and supervisors in ULBs, corporations and panchayats.

Scheduled on demand2 weeks (indicative)IntermediateOnline or in person

Scheduled on demand

Fee quoted on enquiry

Cost depends on delivery mode, group size and how far the content is tailored to your organisation. All fees include tax.

Request the syllabus

Overview

What this programme is for

Municipal waste management fails far more often on organisation than on technology. The equipment is specified, the plant is built, and the service still degrades — because ward-level accountability is unclear, because the data nobody trusts is the data decisions rest on, or because the people doing the work were never brought into the plan.

USLP is aimed at that gap. It is built for municipal commissioners and officials, engineers, sanitary inspectors, supervisors and ULB staff — the people whose decisions determine whether a city's waste system works. Students are welcome, but this is a professional development programme, not an introductory course.

The emphasis is on stewardship: holding a service to a standard over time, using evidence, and carrying a workforce and a public with you. Case material is drawn from Indian municipal practice.

What it covers

What a functioning municipal waste service looks like, measured rather than asserted

Ward-level planning and the accountability that makes it hold

Service level benchmarks, and collecting data that can survive scrutiny

Segregation at source: why it stalls and what has actually moved it

Working with sanitation workers — safety, dignity and retention

Community engagement and behaviour change that outlasts a campaign

Procurement and contract management for municipal waste services

Preparing for and responding to Swachh Survekshan assessment

The full syllabus is shared on enquiry

Detailed module structures, session plans and assessment criteria are our own design, so we don’t publish them. Get in touch and we’ll send the complete syllabus along with sample case material.

What you’ll be able to do

Diagnose where a municipal waste service is failing, and distinguish a capacity problem from a design problem

Set and monitor service level benchmarks at ward level

Build a segregation programme with a realistic theory of why households will comply

Specify and manage a municipal waste contract without being captive to the contractor

Lead a sanitation workforce with attention to safety and retention, not just output

Present service performance credibly to elected representatives and the public

Regulations and frameworks covered

The programme works against the rules that actually bind you, not a generic overview.

Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016
Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) 2.0
Swachh Survekshan indicators and service level benchmarks

Who teaches it

AIWMR Faculty

Municipal practitioners and urban planners

Our faculty are practitioners. They consult for industry, advise municipalities and run research projects, and they teach from that work rather than from a textbook.

Meet the team

Certification

A certificate is issued on completion, subject to attendance and the end-of-programme assessment. Certification is awarded by Ashrita Institute for Waste Management & Research, and is accompanied by internship opportunities, employment assistance and free membership of Ashrita Bio Foundation.

FAQ

Questions people ask before enrolling

Durations shown are indicative for all programmes except CEWM, and fees are quoted on enquiry — both depend on delivery mode, group size and the degree of tailoring. All fees are inclusive of tax.

Also available

Other programmes to consider

All programmes

Enrolling now

Signature programme

Certificate in Environment & Waste Management

Our flagship certification. Eight weeks that take you from the rules that govern waste in India to the practical judgement needed to plan, audit and defend a waste management system.

Duration: 8 weeks
Level: All levels
Mode: Blended

View curriculum

Coming soon

Municipal

Integrated Municipal Solid Waste Management

How the pieces of a municipal waste system fit together — collection, transfer, processing and disposal — and how to plan one that a city can actually afford to run.

Duration: 3 days
Level: Intermediate
Mode: Blended

See what's coming

Coming soon

Industry

Industrial Waste Management

Managing industrial waste streams to a defensible standard — characterisation, storage, treatment routes, authorisation and the records that prove it.

Duration: 3 days
Level: Intermediate
Mode: Blended