From Garbage to Gold

A river in Himachal Pradesh, India

Social Entrepreneurship and Garbage

How can you safely handle waste, produce fertile compost, provide employment to the poor, prevent crime, and even make some money, all at the same time? Zero Waste Management, a not-for-profit organization created by Vellore Srinivasan, has answered this question with its waste collection program, which runs in rural villages and urban cities across India.

Waste Collection

Twice a day, workers employed by Zero Waste Management collect garbage from rural and urban households. This waste is transported by bicycles, which have collection containers attached, to a sorting warehouse, where it is separated into over 60 different categories, including plastics, paper, glass, food scraps, and even human hair. Some food scraps are fed to cows, while others are composted over 40 days. The compost produced is used to control soil erosion and maintain a healthy level of soil fertility in local agricultural farms. Paper is sorted into categories like newspaper, cardboard, and wet paper. Based on the type, this paper is sent to third-party recycling facilities. Glass is dealt with in a similar manner, where different colors and shapes of glass pieces (ranging from small shards to intact bottles) are sent to appropriate facilities. Hair is sold to wig companies, who use it to create pieces which are then resold.

Animals and Trash

Zero Waste Management even uses animals to help deal with waste. Not only are cows used to eat vegetable scraps, but ducks and fish are used, too. Zero Waste Management has set up drains which move pump runoff to holding tanks. Ducks and fish are used to clean the water (which has only organic impurities, like soil and plant matter). Water is separated based on its cleanliness (through pipes between water storage tanks), and algae is used along the way to both feed the ducks and filter the water. The ducks and fish are able to survive with minimal human interference, and they even help fertilize the algae, thus creating a self-sustaining cycle. The end product of this system, much cleaner water, is then used to safely irrigate farmland.

Trash to Cash

Zero Waste Management is funded by those who use it and by the sales it makes to recycling and manufacturing plants. Each month, households pay the equivalent of a few cents per month to take part in the refuse collection program. Unfortunately, those with very low incomes cannot participate in the program, although they are invited to work for Zero Waste Management. On the other end, companies buy certain materials, like hair and glass, from Zero Waste Management, creating revenue for the organization.

Social Impact

Zero Waste Management also helps society, in that it hires workers who would not ordinarily be able to find jobs in rural areas. The disabled or aged help sort garbage, while the young, who may turn to crime to sustain themselves, help collect and transport waste. Not only does Zero Waste Management help the environment by putting garbage to use, but it even provides paid employment and prevents crime.

SeeYourImpact supports social entrepreneurship, and while we are not affiliated with Zero Waste Management we are partnered with other social entrepreneurship charities like VBP, which provides subsidized bikes and bike repair classes for thousands of Ghanaians!

What other examples of social entrepreneurship impress you?

Vist http://zerowastemanagement.org/ to find out more.

Photo credit: Daniel Bachhuber