World Environment Day 2024: How This Mumbai-Based Company Is Turning The Tide On Waste

Our world is awash in plastic. While this versatile material has undeniably transformed our lives, a growing dependence on single-use plastics has brought environmental, social, and economic challenges. Alarming statistics paint a stark picture: every minute, one million plastic bottles are bought, and each year, up to five trillion plastic bags are used globally.With an annual production of 400 million tonnes, plastic waste continues to accumulate. Less than 10 per cent of the staggering seven billion tonnes generated globally has been recycled, leaving millions of tonnes to pollute our environment or be shipped long distances for burning or dumping.However, amidst this growing crisis, hope emerges through organisations like ReCircle. Based in Mumbai, ReCircle is a leading clean-technology innovator dedicated to resource recovery. Founded by Rahul Nainani and Gurashish Singh Sahni, ReCircle fosters collaboration between consumers, businesses, waste collectors, processors, and informal waste workers, known as Safai Saathis. Through these partnerships, ReCircle has diverted over 100,000 metric tonnes of waste – the equivalent weight of over 16,000 elephants – from landfills and oceans across 270 Indian cities and towns.With World Environment Day 2024 just around the corner, OT spoke to Nainani and Sahni to delve deeper into their work, explore their unique approach to sustainability, and gain insights into the future of resource recovery. Excerpts from the interview here.You've mentioned witnessing plastic pollution firsthand while scuba diving. Can you elaborate on that specific experience and how it led you to realise that you must focus intensely on marine plastic pollution and protecting our water bodies?Rahul: I've been scuba diving for over five years, and my co-founder Gurashish has been diving for two years. We're both passionate about ocean conservation. We always encountered plastic trash during our dives in the Andaman Islands, the Similan and Surin Islands off Phuket, or in Sydney, Australia. In Sri Lanka, I found plastic packets in the ocean that had likely been there for over a decade. In Shimla, I saw a mountain of trash that used to be a valley, further motivating me to take action and build ReCircle.We realised that diverting waste from landfills was only part of the solution. To make a significant impact, we also need to protect our oceans so they can thrive for future generations. In August 2023, ReCircle was certified under the Ocean Bound Plastic (OBP) Certification by Zero Plastic Oceans (ZPO). This certification ensures that ocean-bound plastics recycling supply chains meet international environmental, ethical, and labour standards.Travel often generates plastic waste. How can travellers minimise their plastic footprint while exploring new destinations, and how can tourism destinations collaborate with you to become more sustainable?Rahul: The simplest and most cost-effective way to help the planet and save money is to carry a reusable water bottle. When booking accommodations, check for environmental or sustainability ratings, often available on booking websites. The hospitality industry has great potential to work with ReCircle by using our zero-waste services and offsetting their plastic footprint.Can you share some examples of how waste is transformed into valuable resources and how this approach can benefit local communities?Gurashish: Our business model is inclusive and partner-based. We collaborate with informal waste collectors across the country, providing them with a source of income and helping them move towards formalisation. All the materials we collect are processed into new resources. For example, we worked with a leading coffee brand in Mumbai in a circular economy solution. We collected plastic bottles from their stores and converted them into t-shirts, now used as uniforms in their stores.Can you explain how technology is being used to track waste collection and ensure responsible waste management practices?Rahul: ClimaOne is our tech-forward platform that enables a traceable, transparent circular economy. It allows businesses to track their waste streams from source to recycling in real-time.With advanced traceability and analytics, ClimaOne provides the missing visibility and transparency in the plastic waste supply chain. Through our platform, companies like Coca-Cola, Hindustan Unilever, Dabur, and Mondelez can access ethical, data-driven insights. Launched to address challenges in the resource recovery ecosystem, ClimaOne connects plastic waste collectors, processors, and businesses. It promotes traceability and sustainable resource consumption.Can you elaborate on how your initiatives improve the lives and livelihoods of waste pickers and how travellers can support them during their journeys?Rahul: Through our initiatives, more than 3,000 waste pickers have experienced economic upliftment and gained respect, receiving fair wages and dignified working conditions. We focus on key areas such as livelihood generation, partnership building, growth collaborations, developing and formalising Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), capacity enhancement, and integrating workers into the formal supply chain. Our initiatives have improved income levels for Safai Saathis and our Collection Partners, with each stakeholder seeing a 72 percent and 50 percent increase in monthly revenue, respectively.Moreover, travellers should seek environmentally friendly initiatives in the places they visit and look for regenerative travel experiences to make a positive impact. Additionally, they can help by sorting their waste correctly at airports, accommodations, and other locations, ensuring they use the correct bins and avoid littering.Can you highlight some inspiring destinations in India that are actively implementing sustainable waste management practices, offering inspiration for other tourist spots?Gurashish: Sikkim's journey towards sustainable waste management practices is particularly inspiring. It serves as a model for the rest of India by creating awareness about responsible waste management, especially plastic waste management. Sikkim has successfully implemented conservation efforts and revived mountain cultures, all while reshaping the climate narrative of the region.Imagine an ideal travel experience with minimal waste. How can ReCircle help shape a more circular travel economy?Rahul: An ideal travel experience with minimal waste means treading lightly on the planet and making the most of our consumption. Our role is to create a robust circular economy and support travellers and the travel industry by providing education and raising awareness about waste management, establishing hubs for waste segregation, promoting carbon-neutral transportation options, and encouraging manufacturers to produce items that can be reintegrated into the economy.We operate across India, diverting waste from landfills and oceans in 270 cities and towns with the help of over 45 processing partners and a network of 400 collection partners. We collaborate closely with local and municipal bodies. Our 3,100 Safai Saathis collectively salvage an impressive 8,960 kgs of waste per hour. In 2022-2023 alone, we diverted 78,498 metric tons of waste from landfills, equivalent to the weight of approximately 54,137 hatchback cars.Have you encountered any challenges or misconceptions about sustainable travel during your journey? Gurashish: The term "sustainable travel" has unfortunately been overused and misapplied by the hospitality sector for some time. The industry, in particular, has often been accused of greenwashing. Travellers must be discerning and look for establishments with certified ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) standards. Seek out businesses that comply with sustainability regulations, utilise green building practices, rely on renewable energy sources, implement effective waste management strategies, prioritise water conservation, and engage with local communities through sourcing locally and community involvement.How do your travel experiences influence your daily commitment to sustainability?Rahul: Our personal travel experiences, especially our scuba diving adventures, transformed our perspective of the ocean floors and strengthened our dedication to protecting our water bodies. Now, we're not just diverting waste from landfills but also from our oceans. We believe every action at work and during our travels can chart a different course for our planet.What message would you like to give our readers about how they can actively contribute to solving the waste management challenge?Rahul: Tourism undeniably degrades our ocean, land, and mountain ecologies. As responsible travellers, we must embrace the 3Rs that ReCircle advocates: recover, recycle, and rethink how we consume man-made and natural resources. Travellers can create a lasting impact by viewing waste as a valuable resource. Travellers must reconsider their travel habits, what and where they eat, and what they buy, and ensure they adhere to sustainable practices throughout their journey.