START-UPS BOOST SOURCE SEGREGATION OF WASTE

Waste management is now a hot topic and Chennai has a range of private companies that offer unique solutions for different categories.
Launched in Chennai in August 2020 with 100 households, Bintix now caters to 2,000+ households and collects 8,500 kg every month, a number that is steadily rising.
Bintix distributes bags to households with a calculation of one bag per week and collection is every Thursday. Every bag has a barcode that ensures traceability of the waste but also allows Bintix to contact households that have not provided pure dry waste.
Users are given individualised dashboard that allows them to collect payment for their waste. The dashboard conveys eco-statistics which help householders understand their impact on the environment in terms of the trees and fuel they have saved by segregation.
At a waste processing facility in Gerugambakkam, waste is segregated and compacted before being resold. “We handle 90 tonnes of waste annually that would have otherwise ended in a landfill”, says co-founder JayanarayanKulathingal.
“Our goal is to use technology to bring social and environmental impact,” he says.

E-waste collection

When Logesh Selvan founded Unscrapp, a waste management start-up, he began by collecting paper and plastics from commercial setups but six months ago, the company expanded to include the collection of e-waste from households.
“In the past three months, we have collected 50 tonnes from 10,000+ houses,” he says. Unscrapp receives orders via their app, calls, website and word of mouth. They have a detailed price list for appliances; for example, a top load washing machine is ₹600 and a 2.5-ton AC is ₹4,000.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was anxiety among the public on how to dispose of their waste and Unscrapp offers a solution to their e-waste,” says Logesh. The collected waste is taken to a facility near Manali and then resold to recyclers.

Cigarette butts

Wasted 360 Solutions was founded in 2018 focusing on zero value dry waste that would end up in landfills and now has a collection centre in T. Nagar.
Ann Anra, its founder, has done extensive research on finding a solution to the highly toxic cigarette butts. Placing receptacles in bars and restaurants ensures good collection but manufacturing these receptacles is expensive. Designed by Co-exist Architectural Practices, the first receptacle was installed in Barracuda Brew in Chennai in 2020.
Code Effort in Noida specializes in recycling cigarette butts but a large weight of butts is required. “There are plenty of butts but we need sponsors to build the receptacles,” says Ann.

SOURCE: THE HINDU, THE ECONOMIC TIMES, PIB

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