Hyderabad-based entrepreneur Akshay Deshpande is addressing waste-management challenges through Switcheko Sustainability, a startup he launched in 2022. Its flagship initiative, ‘Sustainability on Wheels’, is a mobile waste-processing unit designed to segregate and process waste at the source, reducing the need to transport unsegregated garbage to distant facilities.
Built on a 22-foot Tata 1212 truck with contributions from 18 startups, the unit can process up to 2,000 kg of waste daily and has reportedly processed more than 1 lakh kg since its launch. Beyond waste processing, Switcheko conducts awareness campaigns and clean-up drives and works with women-led Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to manufacture sustainable products. Deshpande plans to expand the mobile units and transition them to electric vehicles.
Bringing Waste Processing Closer To Its Source
The initiative is based on a simple idea: waste should be processed as close as possible to where it is generated. Rather than transporting unsegregated garbage over long distances, Switcheko’s mobile unit visits locations such as lakes, beaches and forests, where waste can be sorted and processed on-site. The truck contains heavy-duty shredders and crushers for plastic and cloth, a specialised machine for crushing thermocol, and a composting unit designed to convert corn-based bioplastics into agricultural manure. It also has separate collection bins for electronic waste, glass bottles, paper and sanitary pads.
A tank fitted beneath the vehicle collects liquid waste to prevent it from contaminating the ground. The truck is equipped with a 2 KVA solar panel system, generator backups and Internet of Things (IoT)-based cameras that allow the team to monitor operations and assess the type and volume of waste collected. The unit can process up to two tonnes of waste daily, and the processed materials are handed over to specialised recyclers to be converted into new products.
Explaining the need to change public attitudes towards waste, Deshpande told The Logical Indian, “We look at garbage and see dirt, but the industry looks at it and sees highly valuable raw material.” He also highlighted the social stigma associated with the sector, noting that people often avoid waste-management work because of the smell and dirt involved, despite its potential for economic value.
From Corporate Leadership To Waste Management
Deshpande’s journey into sustainability began before he established Switcheko. Originally from Mumbai and now based in Hyderabad, he completed a Bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management at G.H. Raisoni Society’s College of Engineering and Management in Pune in 2010, followed by an MBA in Hotel Administration in 2020. He began his career at Infosys in 2010, working in facilities management, where he was exposed to large-scale waste segregation and biogas technologies. He subsequently held leadership positions at Tata Advanced Systems, Tata Lockheed Martin and Recykal, including a role in industrial waste management. His interest in the sector deepened during a corporate social responsibility activity organised by Tata in 2016. During a forest visit, he learnt of a cow that had died after ingesting plastic waste, with around 5 kg of plastic reportedly found in its stomach during an autopsy.
The incident made the consequences of plastic pollution more immediate for him and strengthened his resolve to work on the issue. Rather than immediately starting a business, Deshpande spent approximately four years, from 2016 to 2020, studying the sector, completing courses related to plastics, polymers and waste management, visiting dump yards and speaking with waste collectors. He conducted more than 780 structured interviews and spoke to approximately 3,500 to 4,000 people across the waste ecosystem, according to Startup Pedia. He launched Switcheko Sustainability in 2022 after joining Hyderabad’s T-Hub incubation centre. Between 2022 and 2024, the company focused heavily on public awareness through campaigns, clean-up drives and community programmes, reportedly reaching more than four lakh people.
Deshpande also faced difficulties in securing investor support, as waste management was often perceived as an industry with limited technological innovation. He funded the business using his corporate savings and revenue from its business-to-business operations. Reflecting on the challenges of leaving corporate employment, he told The Logical Indian, “The biggest challenge was the mindset shift.” His experience, as described in the interview, underlines the financial uncertainty and social attitudes that can confront entrepreneurs working in sectors often overlooked by mainstream technology investment.
Beyond Mobile Waste Processing
Switcheko’s work extends beyond its mobile truck. The company also operates a business-to-business marketplace that helps organisations access sustainable alternatives, including recycled fibre, biodegradable plastics and products made from sugarcane bagasse. It offers services related to sustainable product design, engineering, prototyping, packaging, waste audits and awareness training. Its manufacturing model also seeks to use existing community resources rather than establish new factories. Switcheko has partnered with approximately 180 women associated with Self-Help Groups in Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh. The company provides training and sustainable raw materials, including banana fibre and jute, enabling them to manufacture products that are subsequently sold in bulk to corporate clients. Its reported clients include Infosys, Wipro, Tata Advanced Systems, T-Hub and the Government of Telangana.
Startup Pedia reports that Switcheko has generated approximately ₹4 crore in total sales through its business-to-business operations. The company also runs a sustainability helpline and an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot to offer waste-management guidance to individuals and businesses. Looking ahead, Deshpande intends to expand the mobile waste-processing model, develop additional technologies and shift the vehicles to electric power. The current truck operates on petrol or diesel, making the planned transition a future goal rather than an achievement already completed.
He is also pursuing a PhD focused on improving conditions for waste workers. His approach reflects a broader challenge for India’s waste-management systems: improving segregation, strengthening recycling and recognising the contribution of workers who handle discarded materials every day. Mobile processing can help address some logistical difficulties, but its long-term effectiveness will also depend on public participation, appropriate infrastructure, reliable recycling networks and the responsible handling of different categories of waste.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Waste management is not simply a question of where discarded materials go; it is also about how society values resources, the environment and the people who handle waste. Initiatives such as Sustainability on Wheels offer a practical way to bring processing closer to communities while encouraging people to rethink everyday habits. However, lasting change cannot rest on technology or individual entrepreneurs alone.
Households, businesses, local authorities and waste workers must all have a role in building cleaner and more inclusive systems. Proper segregation, responsible consumption, accessible recycling facilities and dignity for sanitation and waste-management workers are equally important.
Supporting such efforts means moving beyond treating waste as someone else’s problem and recognising our shared responsibility for the environment. Would mobile waste-processing initiatives like Sustainability on Wheels help your neighbourhood manage waste better, and what changes should communities and local authorities make to support them?
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