India Is Facing A Seemingly Insurmountable Waste Crisis; Two Innovative Enterprises Are Transforming How We Tackle It

As India hopes to fulfil its potential of becoming a superpower in the 21st century, we still have to figure out sustainable ways to deal with the problems that come with rapid growth and a billion plus population. One of the problems staring us in the face is that of waste management. According to reports, India generates more than 1 lakh metric tonnes of solid waste every day. Solid waste management in India is the responsibility of Urban Local Bodies (ULB), however, due to financial constraints and infrastructural shortcomings, they fall short of effectively dealing with the issue. This problem is only going to increase unless we can figure out smart ways to do good.

What is a smart way of doing good? Instead of completely relying on the government to address all the issues plaguing our society, we can build market-driven sustainable solutions to these problems ourselves. Sampurn(e)arth and Greensole are two such startups which are leveraging the market economy to encourage us to #RecycleMoreWasteLess

Sampurn(e)arth, a Mumbai based startup, is trying to transform waste into utilizable resources without exploitation of people or the planet. The founders Debratha, Jayanth and Ritvik are trying to change the way waste is handled in our country. Not just waste, they envision a world in which the waste pickers get the deserved respect in our society.

With degrees in engineering and masters in social entrepreneurship, the founders are working towards the realization of the zero waste model. Sampurn(e)arth provides end-to-end decentralized collection and processing of waste for housing societies, corporate houses, townships, schools, college campuses etc. They convert the waste collected into biogas and other utilizable resources. Moreover, they transform rag pickers into waste managers and provide them with respectable livelihoods with dignity.

On the other hand, Ramesh and Shriyans, the co-founders of Greensole have found a unique way to do good. Their vision is to provide footwear on every foot. Their solution is to take the shoes we don’t use and then turn it into trendy eco-friendly footwear. They were motivated by the recent report by the World Health Organisation which said that 1.5 billion people worldwide are infected by diseases which can be prevented by wearing proper footwear. Also, an estimated 350 million pairs of shoes are discarded worldwide every year. All of which can be potentially upcycled to provide shoes to the needy.

Greensole sparked into existence after the co-founders realized that the intact soles of sports shoes can be refurbished into trendy slippers which are then distributed in rural schools and villages. Their initiative has already provided the needy with 72,000 pairs of footwear and they aim to increase this to 1 lakh footwear in 2018. Moreover, this environment-friendly enterprise has already saved an estimated 3,60,000 lbs of CO2 emissions.

DBS Bank is reimagining the traditional way of creating social impact, by nurturing and mentoring Social Enterprises like Greensole and Sampurn(e)arth who are innovatively contributing to building a sustainable society. By being a catalyst to multiple social enterprises across sectors DBS Bank stays true to its brand ethos of “Live More, Bank Less” by enabling more sustainability and less stagnation in society.

The Logical Indian appreciates Sampurn(e)arth, Greensole and DBS Bank for creating a positive impact on society by encouraging people to #RecycleMoreWasteLess.