saahas

On the occasion of India's 72nd Independence day, when Bengaluru should have observed the plastic ban effected two years ago on March 11, 2016 through a gazetted notification, bulk manufacturers of the national flag remained unaware of the environmental impact of using common polyester fabric to make these flags. Despite the Ministry of Home Affairs issuing a notice advising state governments to keep a strict vigil on the usage of plastic flags this year, the purpose was defeated, primarily because most vendors did not grasp the real implication of making and selling polyester fabric flags. The manufacturers, distributors, and shops often…

Saahas and Daily Dump, two well known initiatives in the waste management space in Bengaluru were recently recognised for their work. Saahas was awarded the Swachh Best Practice Award by Swachh Bharat Mission and Daily Dump the Swachh Entrepreneur Award. Prime Minister Narendra Modi conferred the awards and released the Swachh Survekshan 2018 Report and launched the Swachh Survekshan – 2018 Results Dashboard, accessible here. More details of the award can be read here. The following note has been shared by the Saahas team. Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban) has selected Saahas Zero Waste, a Bengaluru based startup, to receive the Swachh Best Practice Award…

Do you remember the famous wedding video invite with a LED display which had the family lip-syncing to a choreographed welcome song and dance? Ever wondered what happened to the card after the wedding? This was the storyline for the Street play performed by Kaledio to raise awareness on e-waste.  How long does anyone hang on to an invite that has run out of battery? It goes in the garbage. And the performers went on to explain the hazards of e-waste. E-waste is extremely harmful to both human and environmental health. The toxic elements that e-waste contains include chromium, lead,…

Bengaluru produces an estimated two lakh tonnes of e-waste annually. But 90% of this goes to landfills or scrap dealers who then sell it to illegal recyclers. bE-Responsible is an initiative for Environmentally Responsible Collection and Recycling of e- waste in Bangalore. We have launched a campaign is to encourage people to drop e-waste at collection points at Bangalore One centres. Twenty-three students of Christ College have volunteered for this drive. This initiative which was started in January 2017 has collected e-waste and reached out to around 40,000 individuals through our campaigns and outreach programs. What has been done thus far:  3…

You are in a newly constructed large apartment community or in an individual house, and you don’t know where to send your garbage. Throwing it on to the streets is illegal, and you are a nice person who wouldn’t do it. You have a solution now : igotgarbage.com (IGG). An initiative of Information Technology company Mindtree, in association with Hasirudala, Saahas Zero Waste, Daily Dump and other stakeholders who manage IT city’s waste, IGG connects the waste collectors who dispose it responsibly, to waste generators who want to see their waste managed responsibly. Prashant Mehra, project manager of IGG does…

Saahas and the Solid Waste Management Round Table in association with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Pallike (BBMP) and  Thomson Reuters have initiated a campaign which urges Bengalureans to always ‘look for a bin to drop waste in.’The campaign is being launched on 11th May in three select area -Old Airport Road, Church Street and RMZ Infinity CampusSays Wilma Rodrigues, Saahas “We invite all Bengalureans to come out on the streets and participate; not to sweep the street but to influence and change minds so that we can truly have a clean city.” Saahas in association with Solid Waste Management Round…

One day, the garbage truck didn't turn up.Up until that time, I had never given much thought to the black plastic bags which I diligently tied with all my household waste in it. Everyday I kept it outside the door of my apartment in Malleshwaram to be taken away. It was the ‘kasa’, the ‘kachada’, the ‘garbage’ and that was it. Read this article by Savita Hiremath, a resident at Brigade Regency Apartments, on her experience. Up until that time, the sight of the large garbage collection truck, with its blue sheet flapping in the wind and leaving a trail…