Evidently, waste is not defined by its inherent properties or lack of financial value; it is defined entirely by the holder\u2019s intent to abandon it. Furthermore, under this Directive, the status of waste is fluid. Controlled by the principle of \u201cEnd-of-waste\u201d status, Article 6(1) notes that certain waste ceases to be waste once it undergoes recovery or recycling and meets specific criteria. Crucially, one of those conditions is simple: a market or demand must exist for such a substance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Raviwari Market (Sunday Market) of Anand is the living example of this \u201cEnd-of-waste\u201d status loop. The Raviwari Market (Sunday Market) of Anand is the living example of this \u201cEnd-of-waste\u201d status loop.Clifford Geertz, published in The American Economic Review (1978)\u2014who studied the intricate relational dynamics of traditional Moroccan bazaars\u2014I realized that the Raviwari Bazar is built on a similar, if not more complex, web of territory, mutual dependence, and social contracts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was the first one to establish this market here,\u201d Yunusbhai, a senior vendor, told me when describing its history. \u201cPreviously, it was held in Gamdi\u2014the oldest settlement of Anand\u2014under the ancient banyan tree (popularly called Gamdibad). But as the city expanded, the space shrank, and the surging traffic posed a massive challenge. We approached the Municipality, met with the officers, and they told us to choose a new location. We chose this place. It has been fifteen years since. This place has also undergone changes. There was no flyover and this market was held on both sides of the main road. Now, as you see it is held only on one side of the road.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I had met Yunusbhai purely by accident a few months ago. I was cycling toward the vegetable market when I noticed a diminutive, elderly man in his seventies riding a bicycle painted a striking, hand-brushed golden color. Tied securely to the horizontal rod of his cycle was a manual hand pump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As I overtook him, curiosity got the better of me. \u201cWhy do you carry the hand pump?\u201d I asked. He smiled warmly, exposing toothless jaws. \u201cYou never know when you might need it.\u201d I nodded in agreement. Cycle repair shops are a rarity in Anand, and for a simple top-up of air, they demand ten rupees for a pair of tires\u2014a steep price for a working man. We pulled over under the shade of an Ashoka tree near the Gurudwara Chowkdi to talk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat do you do for a living?\u201d I asked. \u201cI collect bhangar (scrap) and sell it,\u201d he said, using the Gujarati term that encompasses everything from broken plastic chairs to outdated electronics, and added, \u201cI cycle through the lanes of Vallabh Vidya Nagar, collecting discarded household objects from families, and then I sell them at the Raviwari Market.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Intrigued, I asked for his mobile number so I could find him on Sunday. \u201cI am a poor man. I cannot afford a mobile phone,\u201d he said with that same innocent smile. He added, \u201cI am always at the Raviwari. Look for the big Peepal tree on the road that leads to the old Sundar Cinema Hall. I sit right under it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo you live in Anand?\u201d \u201cNo. I live in a nearby village,\u201d he said, and ment ioned name of the village. \u201cIt is quite far from here,\u201d I said. \u201cYes. For livelihood one has to work hard,\u201d he said. \u201cSince how long are you in this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAround 15 years,\u201d he said. \u201cWho all are in your family?\u201d \u201cI, my younger brother and my sister,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat about your children?\u201d \u201cI did not marry.\u201d \u201cYour brother?\u201d \u201cHe also did not marry,\u201d he said. \u201cI had an elder brother. He died while he was young. My brotherin-law also died. Due to these setbacks we did not recover. We never married. My sister also did not remarry. We live together,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/clearcut.sakchinursinghome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-11.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\u201cYou Hindi is very good,\u201d I could not stop myself from mentioning it. \u201cYes, I was in Mumbai for three years. I was assisting my Seth in his business,\u201d he said. \u201cYou could have stayed in the same job,\u201d I said. \u201cI got any opportunity to work in Saudi Arabia. I told my Seth about it. He happily agreed and allowed me to go. I was in Saudi Arabia for eight years,\u201d he said. \u201cDid you not save money?\u201d \u201cThe Iraq war started and I could not visit Saudi Arabia again. Whatever money I saved it was spent in the marriage of my sister. Unfortunately, my brother-in-law died. To go abroad we took loan. We had to sell the house, repay the loan and migrate,\u201d said Yunusbhai. I was listening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are Syeds. My father was a religious guru and many people came to meet him. If he blessed someone the person benefited. He died. There was nothing left in the city. From a village near Lunawada we migrated to Borsad and from there to our present place of living,\u201d he said. I was not keen to stop the conversation but I was also conscious of the fact that Yunusbhai might get late. \u201cYunusbhai, let us meet in the Raviwari Market,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes, please come to the Peepul tree,\u201d he said with his usual smile. I visited Yunusbhai in the Raviwari market. He was squatting on a plastic sheet spread on the ground. He welcomed me with his contagious smile and introduced me to his brother Irfanbhai. It was not difficult to locate Yunusbhai in the crowded market. The golden cycle was standing to demarcate boundary of his \u2018shop\u2019. In front the edge of the black top of the road was the boundary and on the rear side stood the tall boundary wall of the Hindu cremation ground. The fourth side of the boundary of Yunusbhai\u2019s shop was the scooter of his neighbour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most of the vendors sit on the ground. The vendors selling old and used clothes display their wares on plastic-woven steeltube frame cots. The majority, around 60-70% of the total number of shops are old clothes shops. Almost all the old clothes shops are owned by the caste Devipujak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A small number of shops deal in new items, such as plastic ware, iron wares, wristwatches, electronic items, and wooden craft items prepared by the caste Suthar. There are carts selling vegetables at cheap rates. There are peripatetic vendors selling eatables such as samosa and ice gola. Near railway track a large area is occupied by vendors selling wooden furniture. I sat in Yunusbhai\u2019s shop and observed how people were buying things. A school boy came and asked price of LED light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRs 20\/-,\u201d said Irfanbhai. \u201cRs 10\/-,\u201d said the boy. \u201cOk,\u201d said Irfanbhai. The boy indicated towards an Integrated Circuit (IC) board and asked its price. \u201cRs 60\/-,\u201d said Irfanbhai. \u201cRs 20\/-,\u201d said the boy. \u201cNo,\u201d said Irfanbhai. \u201cRs 30\/-,\u201d said the boy. Irfanbhai once again rejected the offer. \u201cWhat would you do with it?\u201d I asked the boy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI will harvest capacitors and diodes for my summer project. It would reduce the cost of my project,\u201d he said. \u201cYou are in which class?\u201d \u201cClass XII,\u201d he said, and named the school. He also mentioned he was preparing for engineering entrance examination. After the boy left I asked Irfanbhai, \u201dHow do you price IC boards?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPreviously, they were very cheap but now all of a sudden the prices have increased. They say that silver is being harvested from the IC boards. Did you notice how the price of silver has increased?\u201d \u201cWho all come and buy things here?\u201d I asked Yunusbhai. \u201cAll types of people come here. Mostly people of the working class come here,\u201d he said. While we were talking a person came on scooter and started shouting at Yunusbhai in Gujarati. Yunusbhai responded calmly in Gujarati. The situation settled down after Yunusbhai gave a onehundred rupee note to the person. I asked Yunusbhai, \u201cWho is this person?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/clearcut.sakchinursinghome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/image-10.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\u201cHe is a Patel. He lives in London and comes to India intermittently. He gave some old used household goods to sell,\u201d said Yunusbhai and indicated towards a lot of old clothes and some electronic goods. I looked towards the goods. \u201cThe clothes are of big size. He is a foreigner with enough food to consume. You see most of the people who come here are workers with thin bodies. How can they fit into his clothes? The clothes did not sell. He is shouting for it. I gave him money for the goods I was able to sell. In this market nothing is certain. If a customer comes and buys, only then can I give money to him. You see so many people come and negotiate but they do not buy,\u201d said Yunusbhai and added, \u201cHe is an NRI and came all the way to collect Rs 100\/-.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat is the norm here?\u201d I asked. \u201cPeople we know call us and ask us to collect goods and sell them here. We ask what price they expect. For example, you see that new stove with a pressure cooker. The combined price quoted by the client is Rs 2,000\/-. I cannot sell one item even though many customers were seeking only the pressure cooker. In case I sell the pressure cooker and the stove does not sell I have to pay Rs 2,000\/- to the client. This is the second time I have brought the stove and cooker to this market in case it does not sell today I will ask the owner to decrease the price to Rs 1,500\/- or take back the items,\u201d said Yunusbhai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow much money would you make?\u201d \u201cI am asking Rs 2,500\/- for the two,\u201d he said. \u201cHow much money do you earn in a month?\u201d \u201cRs 3,000\/-,\u201d he said. \u201cOnly Rs 3,000\/- in a month!,\u201d I exclaimed. He smiled innocently. While I was looking at his face a young person came to the shop holding cordless earbuds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow much would you pay me for these?\u201d he said showing the whitecolored earbuds. \u201cRs 50\/-,\u201d said Yunusbhai. \u201cMy asking price is Rs 200\/-. It is completely new,\u201d he said. \u201cRs50\/-,\u201d replied Yunusbhai. \u201cOk, let us settle the deal at Rs 150\/-,\u201d said the boy. Yunusbhai did not budge. \u201cAt least pay me Rs 100\/- so that I can buy a litre of petrol. I purchased this last week. My motorbike has no petrol. I have no money to buy petrol and therefore I am selling it,\u201d said the boy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yunusbhai said, \u201cRs 50\/- and I will also need a receipt.\u201d The boy went. \u201cHow could I ascertain whether he owned the product or was trying to sell stolen product. One has to be very cautious in this market. There are police in plain clothes. They keep any eye on things. One cannot take a risk for earning Rs10\/-,\u201d said Yunusbhai looking at me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDid I not tell you about my elder brother? He died. He was the pupil of our eyes. You come to my house I will show his photographs to you. For six months I was like a mad person. I had lost my senses. I was regularly losing money in the fruit business. I was unable to walk. I sold fruit on a hand cart. There was no energy in my legs. I was unable to move the cart. I always saw him in front of the cart. It was he who got us the carts. I stopped selling fruits,\u201d he said. \u201cPlease tell me how you joined Raviwari at the very beginning,\u201d I said. \u201cWhen I left selling fruit and did not work it was getting tough. The God instructed me to start collecting scrap. He is the one who decides who should do what. I started collecting scrap from the college hostels of Vallabh Vidya Nagar. I also collected scrap from the colleges. I sold the old notebooks and packaging items to the wholesaler. Some items, such as old electronic items were sold in the Raviwari market. The Municipality started door to door collection of scrap. We shifted solely to the Raviwari market,\u201d said Yunusbhai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was 2 PM and the market crowd was getting thinner every minute. \u201cHow do three people manage in Rs 3,000\/- a month?\u201d I was curious. \u201cThere is no debt on me. I am the happiest person. There is an NGO that provides two packets of dinner every day. There is a mess that provides cheap food. I buy two packets from there. We manage,\u201d he said.\u201cThis market is held only once in a week. What do you do on other days?\u201d \u201cOn other days I collect items and on some days I work for a caterer. For threefour hours of a catering job he pays me Rs 150\/- and the food is free. I do not wash utensils. I only serve food,\u201d said Yunusbhai. \u201cIsn\u2019t it too hot?\u201d \u201cYes. The poor get acclimatized to adversities,\u201d he said and smiled. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt least a big umbrella for shade?\u201d I said looking at the colorful longhandled umbrellas over many shops. Yunusbhai looked at the sky casually and said, \u201cThere are clouds but no rain.\u201d \u201cWhat happens during the monsoon?\u201d \u201cIt is difficult. Many times we do not come here if it rains. On other days we bring plastic to cover everything. This place gets wet and soggy. We rent cots. They are available at Rs 20\/- per day,\u201d he said. \u201cDo people fight for places here?\u201d \u201cNo. Everybody knows his place. I am sitting at this spot for the last 15 years,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat would happen if there is a newcomer?\u201d \u201cHe has to find a place,\u201d he said. \u201cIs there any committee or any body to run this market?\u201d \u201cNo, nothing,\u201d he said. \u201cYou do not have to pay any rent for putting up a shop, either directly or indirectly,\u201d I asked. \u201cNo. Municipal corporation does not seek any rent. Police do not collect any money,\u201d he said and then added, \u201cYes, till two years back Hijras (transgenders) troubled us a lot. They collected thousands of rupees from this market. There may be around 600 shops here. From every shop they collected a minimum Rs 10\/-. They misbehaved with us. They forced us to pay. Two years back a situation arose and I went to the police station and with folded hands I narrated everything to the police. The police came. The shopkeepers were afraid. They all mentioned that it was I who complained. The police came to me and asked questions. I once again narrated everything with folded hands. Since then, no Hijra has visited this place seeking money.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat if people owning spot sell their spot?\u201d \u201cI received a proposal from a person. He said he will pay me Rs 500\/- for three hours. I refused. This kind of thing is not allowed and nothing like that has happened here. It is illegal. How can you sell the spot when you got it free,\u201d said Yunusbhai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat happened during Corona (COVID)?\u201d \u201cIt was really tough time due to the lockdown. All movement was put on hold. There was no Raviwari market. The police were beating anyone who went out of the house. There was no food. I put a mask and came out of the house and told the police personnel about the difficulty. He was a kind person. He asked me to collect food from the camp. Slowly the restrictions were relaxed and things came to normal,\u201d said Yunusbhai. I listened. \u201cNothing happened to me. I am 72 and I come here cycling one and a half hours each way,\u201d he said and smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
Clear Cut Livelihood Desk \u201csolid waste\u201d means and includes solid or semi-solid domestic waste, sanitary waste, commercial waste, institutional waste, catering and market waste and other non residential wastes, street sweepings, silt removed or collected from the surface drains, horticulture waste, agriculture and dairy waste, treated bio-medical waste excluding industrial waste, bio-medical waste and e-waste, battery waste, radio-active waste…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[105],"tags":[571,1318,4554,5000,6527,6549,6972,7489,7552,8328],"post_template":[],"top_category":[],"class_list":["post-10336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-livelihood","tag-anand","tag-circular-economy","tag-informal-economy","tag-livelihood","tag-raviwari-market","tag-recycling","tag-scrap-collection","tag-sunday-market","tag-sustainable-development","tag-waste-management","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearcut.sakchinursinghome.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10336","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearcut.sakchinursinghome.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearcut.sakchinursinghome.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearcut.sakchinursinghome.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearcut.sakchinursinghome.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10336"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/clearcut.sakchinursinghome.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10336\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clearcut.sakchinursinghome.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10336"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearcut.sakchinursinghome.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10336"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearcut.sakchinursinghome.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10336"},{"taxonomy":"post_template","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearcut.sakchinursinghome.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_template?post=10336"},{"taxonomy":"top_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clearcut.sakchinursinghome.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/top_category?post=10336"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
New Delhi, UPDATED: August 02, 2026 14:00 IST
Written By:\u00a0Dr. Ram Manohar Vikas<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"