Recognising the increasing environmental and public health problems, Kerala has implemented a decentralised solid waste management approach, which heavily involves community participation and local self-governing bodies (LSGIs). In this context, the Haritha Karma Sena (HKS), a network of green technicians and volunteers, mostly women, has emerged as a key player in the collection, segregation and recovery of waste at the state level. Under the Haritha Keralam Mission, the Government of Kerala has established the HKS units and implemented them through the Kudumbashree and LSGIs wherein regular door-to-door collection of segregated waste, transfer of waste to the material collection facility (MCF) and resource recovery facility (RRF) and awareness initiatives are conducted at the community level. However, more recent evidence points to significant progress by HKS in household level segregation, the reduction of unscientific dumping and the creation of livelihoods for tens of thousands of women from self-help groups, leading to a reconfiguration of grassroots waste governance. In this paper, Haritha Karma Sena is discussed from the perspective of environmental justice and inclusive governance as it is not only a waste collection system but also a gendered labour system and a place for local environmental decision making. Based on secondary sources, government policy documents and recent empirical research, the paper posits a conceptual framework that links HKS interventions to three fundamental aspects of environmental justice (distributive, procedural and recognitional) and inclusive governance principles of participation, representation, accountability and transparency. The discussion emphasizes the role that HKS plays in mitigating unequal access to waste services, environmental risks and access to green livelihoods, while also noting the remaining challenges with low and irregular incomes, occupational risks and lack of recognition of women waste workers as professional environmental service providers. Finally, the paper discusses the implications for enhancing the HKS as a fair and inclusive form of environmental governance and points out areas of future research on gender, environmental justice and decentralised waste management in Kerala.