As the world grapples with the challenges of solid waste management, India decided to tackle this challenge by launching Swachh Bharat Mission in 2014. The problem we are trying to solve is threefold and interconnected.
Waste Collection, resource recovery & disposal are unplanned & resource intensive, with low efficiency & effectiveness. Only 70% of urban solid waste is currently collected.
Sanitation staff are often exposed to hazardous working conditions. There is little to no focus on their human dignity and safety.
In India, 77% of solid waste is not processed and is instead transported to open dumps.
We believe that the waste management problem that the country faces needs simple solutions. To tackle 80% of the problem, we have developed the innovative, cost-effective, equitable & replicable BOTRAM SWM Transformation Process, that has delivered successful SWM transformation to 14 ULBs in India and abroad.
B-O-T-R-A-M is a six-step process that overhauls, fortifies and enables the city’s MSW machinery to deliver a waste management system that is regular, reliable, safe and sustainable, while achieving a resource recovery potential of 90%.
Extended Producers Responsibility encourages manufacturers to design environmentally friendly products by holding producers responsible for the costs of managing their products at the end of life. EPR is based on the principle that manufacturers have the maximum control over product design and marketing and thus have the greatest ability to reduce toxicity and production. EPR is practiced typically in the form of: reuse, buyback or recycle and manufacturers typically work with a third party or Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO) for the product cycle management.
Through the implementation of BOTRAM at ULB level, we get access to segregated waste . A part of this segregated waste is non recyclable multilayer plastics (MLPs). This MLP is then sent to our co-processing partners and shares a destruction certificate for our EPR clients.
Through our partnership with Ambuja Cement and Ultratech Cement as our co-processing partners, we have been able to co-process over 4,91,725 Tonnes of MLP. We are proud of all our partnerships with various companies such as Bajaj Auto (Jan 2016 - present), CanPack India Pvt Ltd (May 2016 - present), Hindustan Unilever Limited (March 2018 - present) and Coca-Cola (June 2019 - present).
We have conducted Brand Audits for FMCG organisations such as Hindustan Unilever Limited to help them plan their EPR strategy.
We have also worked with Tata Trust to create a report that lays a blueprint for a collaborative effort to create the right conditions for sensible, innovative waste management and EPR implementation techniques.
Our model focuses on providing safe and dignified working conditions to waste-pickers at the dry waste recovery centers. While focussing on forwards linkages for recyclable materials ensures maximum resource recovery, revenue generated through our EPR clients contributes towards financial stability of the dry waste recovery centres. This revenue not only helps us support EPR operations, but a major portion of the revenue is channeled towards improving the livelihoods and towards implementing better schemes for the waste pickers working at our MRFs, such as the entire month’s household kirana is covered through this, as is health check-up, health insurance, children’s education, etc.
Through our association with National Skill Development Council (NSDC) and Skill Council for Green Jobs (SCGJ), we have trained and up skilled over 2916 Safai Karmacharis.
These trainings focus on:
Our team members are certified trainers by Skill Councils for Green Jobs. With the certified trainings conducted by us, we not only ensure our Safai Karmacharis are equipped to execute day-to-day waste management activities seamlessly, but also boost their morale and train them to be the flag bearers of the waste management systems of their cities, towns and villages.