Waste generation is a common thing. Everyone is a creator when it comes to waste. But not necessarily all the waste gets disposed of correctly for half of the world’s problems start with waste and mismanaged disposal services.
Nepal is no exception to the cause. The Kathmandu Valley produces approximately 500 tonnes of waste per day while the whole of the country produces much more. Tackling this issue for Nepal should be on the priority list now.
This is where Waste to Worth comes in. They are creating an amazing green solution for this waste management problem. Something that is going to help tackle the problem on an individual level. Let us see what they have to say about it.
1. What social problem are you trying to solve or what social change will your product or service bring in society?
Due to unmanaged solid waste disposal, Nepal is suffering from pollution problems. KMC alone generates 500 tons of solid waste each day while the estimated amount across the country is 2000 tons. A similar study shows, more than 70% of the solid waste generated is of organic origin.
This organic waste that ends up in landfills can be put to better use, by composting it. Our composting bin is the best way of recycling organic waste on an individual level. The yield obtained from the bin can be used for gardens and farms. It can help reduce the carbon emission caused due to pollution and keeping our environment green.
2. Can you tell us about your idea/company Waste to Worth?
Waste-to-worth composting bin is a simple electricity-driven bin that takes in chunks of biodegradable green waste and then grinds it. A liquid is spread over the ground waste inside the bin. The smaller pieces are much easier for microorganisms to work on for decomposition.
The bin stores the waste and retains it in the lower compartment of the bin until ready for use. Converting biodegradable green waste into nutritious compost takes time and effort. Our product is unique in a way that it prepares compost faster than regular traditional composting procedures.
It reduces the amount of human intervention, unlike traditional composting methods. Waste-to-worth Composting Bin is to target the problem of unmanaged waste disposal and make the most out of waste at its source. It reduces the amount going into landfills and helps lower the emission of toxic greenhouse gases such as Methane.
3. Tell me about your journey to starting the venture? When did it start?
Gardening has always been my hobby since childhood. From planting seeds to grooming them, and making compost out of kitchen waste for them, are some of the things I have always loved. With the knowledge I gained in engineering, I knew my hobby could be taken up a notch.
What startled me was the amount of waste Kathmandu produces every day, out of which 80% is organic. Hence, I started looking for a simple method of composting. My team, consisting of three members, including me, started thinking of ideas to make the composting process easy. We have been working together for Waste-to-worth since April 2019.
4. How did you raise funds to start your company? What is the legal status of your company?
We haven’t raised any funds for now as we are still in the phase of prototype building and refining our product before launching.
Our company has not gone through any legal procedures yet.
5. What is your current staff strength and how many people did you start with?
Ours is a three-man team of which one is an IT consultant who owns an agricultural farm. The other is an engineer who is helping design the Waste-to-worth composting bin.
6. What challenges did you face while starting the company and what are the challenges you are facing right now? How did you overcome your challenges?
In the early days, we lacked knowledge on how to turn our idea into a revenue-generating business. Now, we are working on how to market our product.
Meeting mentors with so much experience in this area, we are getting lots of insights to work on overcoming our challenges.
7. Who are your target customers? How many customers do you get every month?
Our main target is eco-conscious people from various demographics like schools, colleges, household, corporate houses with kitchens producing organic waste.
We currently have two clients who are using our early phase product, who are giving us constructive feedback.
8. What is your business model? Also, what stage is the company in?
The waste-to-worth composting bin is sold to our customers for the profit-making model initially. However, it also has a recurring revenue model in which we provide regular servicing and maintenance services. Apart from that, we provide a friendly microorganism liquid to help convert the waste to compost faster.
Our company is in a continuous state of prototype building and testing to make our Waste- to-worth compost bin user-friendly.
9. What are the key needs of your company? What is the plan for your company?
The key needs of our company at the moment include mentorship, legal and marketing consecutively.
Once the Waste-to-worth composting bin comes into proper use and people are rightly aware of it, we are planning to produce quality tested compost from collected organic waste for commercial farms and household use as well.
10. Do you consider yourself as a Social Entrepreneur? Do you measure the impact of your product/service?
Yes, I consider myself as a Social Entrepreneur. We are working to bring a change in people’s perspective towards organic waste. We also want to create awareness among people about the importance of turning waste into compost.
We measure the impact of our product, Waste-to-worth composting bin with not only the number of bins sold but also the amount of compost produced. Our valuable customers provide us with feedback for continuous improvement.
For more information about Waste to Worth, contact Suprina at tamrakar.suprina@gmail.com.
Article Edited by Shambhavi Sigh and Sanjit Samant
