New Delhi, Dec. 31 -- Once a stubborn by-product of consumption, waste became an ever-growing challenge with rising populations and rapid urbanisation. Answering the call of the Swachh Bharat Mission, India flipped the script: under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and SBM-U leadership, waste is no longer a problem but a resource, transformed into products and revenue.

Nowhere is this shift more evident than in coastal cities, where coconut waste, once a civic headache, has found a second life in the circular economy, turning nature's leftovers into livelihoods and value.

As tourists flock to coastal cities seeking clean, safe, and beautiful destinations, coconut water remains the drink of choice by the sea--healthy, re...