Among the numerous challenges India faces today, the issue of waste generation emerges as a pressing issue. Realizing this, Akshay Surana and Nikunj Jaisalmeria of Mumbai were determined to make a change. They founded ViaGreen to solve waste management and clean cities. Today, their efforts have not only transformed Mumbai into a cleaner place but also contributed to job creation.
The duo started their journey in 2015 after strategically planning their goals. While their vision is clear, their challenges are never-ending. Initially, their business model failed, but with the idea of helping the country, Surana and Jaisalmeria restarted. Although they have come a long way in understanding and solving the waste problem, they still have more work to do.
“We had no direction in life and didn’t know where to go. But, in 2016, the Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSW) rules came out and we grabbed the opportunity. Every household in society has to segregate waste and people because of them There was no understanding of waste management. People thought waste was not our problem, so we started managing it within housing societies and corporations to help them,” Surana told HT. (Also Read: Varanasi’s waste incineration plant to be fully operational soon)
Although educating people and quarantining will take time, the pair have now started tracking how much waste is produced. Approximately 59,000 kilograms of waste are collected in a day and sent for recycling. Surana also said that they collected nearly Rs 2 crore of waste in a year, of which Rs 1.5 crore was recycled.
Surana explains: “We have introduced a unique system. We provide bags with QR codes for scanning and tracking waste. This allows us to track where and how much waste is generated and whether the waste is segregated. Going one step further , we can even determine the proportion of wet and dry waste generated by an apartment or society.”
To address this issue for housing associations and companies, ViaGreen has also started cleaning up beaches and mangroves, recycling old clothes and materials, and even providing employment opportunities for waste pickers. (Also Read: Ludhiana: Dugri Bridge static compactor abandoned for three years)
Talking about how they can do their bit to combat the country’s waste problem, Surana urged “people need to ask themselves whether they absolutely need something. The generation of plastic, paper and other items has increased over the past few years. If people Being able to avoid ordering things from Swiggy, Zomato or Blinkit is a step towards cleaner cities and people should also start donating excess stuff at home instead of throwing it away.”