Enterprise in Waste Management - Saahas Zero Waste

Though much has been done by city municipal authorities in recent years in terms of waste segregation and collection at household levels, it remains a burgeoning problem in our urban areas. In this article, Lata Vishwanath highlights the work done by Saahas Zero Waste (SZW). From its humble beginnings as a small NGO doing waste collection, SZW has grown, over the last two decades, into a social enterprise, as a leader with best practices in managing Bengaluru’s solid waste and thereby reducing its harmful impact to the earth and environment.

- Lata Vishwanath

Waste generation is an essential part of our existence. An individual worldwide is believed to generate waste on an average between 0.5 kg and 4.5 kg every day. Hence, the total waste generated in a country like India with its staggeringly growing population is very high. Though much has been done by city municipal authorities in recent years in terms of waste segregation and collection at household levels, it remains a burgeoning problem in our urban areas and metropolitan cities.

In our society, keeping homes clean and managing household waste does not figure as a high priority task for an individual, and is usually pushed aside as the responsibility of family’s womenfolk. Thus, it is no wonder that the sight of sprawling waste littered around in her city of residence had inspired Ms Wilma Rodrigues to take up the onus of managing the same and Founding the organization Saahas Zero Waste (SZW). From its humble beginnings as a small NGO doing waste collection, SZW has grown, over the last two decades, into a social enterprise, as a leader with best practices in managing a city’s solid waste and thereby reducing its harmful impact to the earth and environment.

Social Enterprise