Press Release
Press Release from State Pollution Control Board-Sikkim
Information & Public Relations Department
State Pollution Control Board-Sikkim Hosts Circular Conclave on Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy in Sikkim in collaboration with GIZ India and Centre for Environment Education
DEORALI, GANGTOK - October 9, 2026: The State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) Sikkim, in collaboration with GIZ India under the EU–India Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy Initiative (EU-IRECEI), successfully hosted a regional workshop, "Circular Conclave: Towards Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy in Sikkim" on October 9th 2026 at the Sidkeong Tulku Hall in the SPCB Building, Deorali, Gangtok.
The workshop was presided over by Shri N.W. Tamang (Retd. IFS), Member Secretary of SPCB Sikkim and attended by senior officials from the line departments. The gathering also brought together representatives from Green NGOs, academia, and startups focused on circular economy solutions.
The day's proceedings were guided by Masters of Ceremonies Mr. Suraj Megi Gurung and Mr. Gaychung Lepcha, Junior Scientific Assistants at SPCB-Sikkim. The event formally commenced with a welcome address and context-setting delivered by Shri N.W. Tamang, which was followed by an overview of the EU-IRECEI presented by Mr. Liju Mathew, Urban and Regional Development Advisor at GIZ India.
The technical proceedings featured three dedicated sessions incorporating insights from various domain experts. The first session, focusing on a "Regional Assessment on Plastic Waste and E-Waste in the North-Eastern Region," was chaired by the Member Secretary of SPCB Sikkim. It featured presentations from Mr. Prabhjot Sodhi of the Centre for Environment Education (CEE) on implementing Solid Waste Management (SWM) 2026 for Bulk Waste Generators, and Mr. Pema Bhutia, Founder and Advisor of Kanchenjunga Conservation Committee, who shared institutional best practices on waste management.
Additionally, Mr. Liju Mathew and Mr. Debojayal Parashar (Project Executive, CEE) jointly presented the preliminary findings and key recommendations of the regional assessment.
The second session, "Approaches for Waste Management in Northeast India," was chaired by Smt. Kusum Gurung, Additional Director at SPCB Sikkim. This segment featured virtual presentations from Dr. Sparsh Johari (Assistant Professor, IIT Guwahati) on managing Construction and Demolition waste, Dr. Vijai Singhal (CEE Team and former Chief Environmental Engineer, Rajasthan Pollution Control Board) on plastic waste characterisation, and Mr. Vivek JM (Environmental Policy & Resource Efficiency Advisor,
GIZ India) on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and Urban Local Bodies' wallets.
The final technical session, "Waste Management Approaches Through Stakeholders’ Lens in North-East India," was chaired by Shri Ranjan Rai, Superintending Engineer at SPCB Sikkim. The session featured a virtual address by Dr. Hari Bhakta Sharma of Sikkim Manipal University, who shared detailed insights into mountain region waste management challenges and measures required to tackle these challenges, focusing on economical aspect of the waste management in Sikkim. This was followed by a detailed discussion by Ms. Priyadarshinee Shrestha (Member, Zero Waste Himalaya) on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) implementation across Himalayan states.
Furthermore, each technical session was followed by an interactive Q&A segment, where the active participation and insightful queries of the attendees were highly acknowledged by the expert panels. To
honour their valuable contributions to the conclave, the guest speakers and domain experts were formally
felicitated by Shri. N.W. Tamang (Retd. IFS), Member Secretary of SPCB Sikkim and Smt. Kusum Gurung, Additional Director, SPCB Sikkim.
The event concluded with closing remarks by Mr. Liju Mathew and a formal vote of thanks delivered by
Shri Ranjan Rai, expressing sincere gratitude to all speakers, delegates from different departments, and other participants. This conclave marks a significant step forward in Sikkim's ongoing efforts to transition toward a robust circular economy and strengthen local infrastructure to achieve sustainable waste management solutions
DEORALI, GANGTOK - October 9, 2026: The State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) Sikkim, in collaboration with GIZ India under the EU–India Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy Initiative (EU-IRECEI), successfully hosted a regional workshop, "Circular Conclave: Towards Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy in Sikkim" on October 9th 2026 at the Sidkeong Tulku Hall in the SPCB Building, Deorali, Gangtok.
The workshop was presided over by Shri N.W. Tamang (Retd. IFS), Member Secretary of SPCB Sikkim and attended by senior officials from the line departments. The gathering also brought together representatives from Green NGOs, academia, and startups focused on circular economy solutions.
The day's proceedings were guided by Masters of Ceremonies Mr. Suraj Megi Gurung and Mr. Gaychung Lepcha, Junior Scientific Assistants at SPCB-Sikkim. The event formally commenced with a welcome address and context-setting delivered by Shri N.W. Tamang, which was followed by an overview of the EU-IRECEI presented by Mr. Liju Mathew, Urban and Regional Development Advisor at GIZ India.
The technical proceedings featured three dedicated sessions incorporating insights from various domain experts. The first session, focusing on a "Regional Assessment on Plastic Waste and E-Waste in the North-Eastern Region," was chaired by the Member Secretary of SPCB Sikkim. It featured presentations from Mr. Prabhjot Sodhi of the Centre for Environment Education (CEE) on implementing Solid Waste Management (SWM) 2026 for Bulk Waste Generators, and Mr. Pema Bhutia, Founder and Advisor of Kanchenjunga Conservation Committee, who shared institutional best practices on waste management.
Additionally, Mr. Liju Mathew and Mr. Debojayal Parashar (Project Executive, CEE) jointly presented the preliminary findings and key recommendations of the regional assessment.
The second session, "Approaches for Waste Management in Northeast India," was chaired by Smt. Kusum Gurung, Additional Director at SPCB Sikkim. This segment featured virtual presentations from Dr. Sparsh Johari (Assistant Professor, IIT Guwahati) on managing Construction and Demolition waste, Dr. Vijai Singhal (CEE Team and former Chief Environmental Engineer, Rajasthan Pollution Control Board) on plastic waste characterisation, and Mr. Vivek JM (Environmental Policy & Resource Efficiency Advisor,
GIZ India) on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and Urban Local Bodies' wallets.
The final technical session, "Waste Management Approaches Through Stakeholders’ Lens in North-East India," was chaired by Shri Ranjan Rai, Superintending Engineer at SPCB Sikkim. The session featured a virtual address by Dr. Hari Bhakta Sharma of Sikkim Manipal University, who shared detailed insights into mountain region waste management challenges and measures required to tackle these challenges, focusing on economical aspect of the waste management in Sikkim. This was followed by a detailed discussion by Ms. Priyadarshinee Shrestha (Member, Zero Waste Himalaya) on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) implementation across Himalayan states.
Furthermore, each technical session was followed by an interactive Q&A segment, where the active participation and insightful queries of the attendees were highly acknowledged by the expert panels. To
honour their valuable contributions to the conclave, the guest speakers and domain experts were formally
felicitated by Shri. N.W. Tamang (Retd. IFS), Member Secretary of SPCB Sikkim and Smt. Kusum Gurung, Additional Director, SPCB Sikkim.
The event concluded with closing remarks by Mr. Liju Mathew and a formal vote of thanks delivered by
Shri Ranjan Rai, expressing sincere gratitude to all speakers, delegates from different departments, and other participants. This conclave marks a significant step forward in Sikkim's ongoing efforts to transition toward a robust circular economy and strengthen local infrastructure to achieve sustainable waste management solutions
