The Rise of the Garbage Gang: Giving Waste Worth
An all-women collective in Bangalore, India is pioneering a mission to revolutionize waste management
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Author: Zoya Khanday
On a sunny Wednesday afternoon, trash and waste line the gaps between the housing societies of Kannamangla, Whitefield, a suburb of Bangalore. With barely any waste management, this city of lakes and gardens is slowly sinking under a deluge of trash. This sight is nothing new or unique; the problem persists not just in urban centres but also in rural provinces across India, where most waste is dumped openly and burned. On this particular afternoon, however, Malini Parmar has renewed optimism as she makes her way through town. This is a momentous day for Stonesoup, the company she co-founded, which provides solutions for waste segregation, sanitary waste disposal and menstrual hygiene.
Waste management and proper waste disposal can capture value, and this requires citizens to take ownership of their waste and develop the tools for effective waste management. The need for citizen engagement in waste management is the essence of Stonesoup. What is now a multi-faceted company providing solutions for waste segregation, sanitary waste disposal and menstrual hygiene 2010, started off as an informal collective of diverse women who saw a connection between illegal waste burning in Bangalore and health impacts on their families.
When it comes to building climate resilience in communities, involving women is crucial. In fact, the United Nations has reported that resilience and capacity-building strategies are more successful when women are part of the planning process. Stonesoup embodies this approach as well, with women co-founders and chief executive officers (CEOs).
Malini Parmar left a 17-year career in information technology consulting to tackle waste management with her co-founder, Smita Kulkarni, a techie with more than 15 years of experience before launching Stonesoup. They are supported by co-CEOs, Rupal Shah, a criminal lawyer and environmental activist, and Bhavna Bhargava, a dentist by training. Malini jokingly adds, “… they call us the garbage gang!”
In the Wednesday afternoon sunshine, accompanied by residents from neighbouring housing societies and teachers from a local school, the Stonesoup team witnesses the inauguration of the first garbage segregation point in Whitefield. The entrance to the ceramic waste disposal room is lined with holy flowers and leaves, and pictures of goddesses adorn the walls. A priest chants and blesses the building, and Malini looks on and whispers, “We want this to feel like an auspicious beginning. We need collective action for this to work.”
Stonesoup works closely with foundations and government agencies to design their waste management programmes, with a special focus on strengthening the promotion of waste segregation at the source. Their projects require close work with diverse groups, such as the municipal government and panchayats, non-governmental and civil society organizations, as well as with the residents across age groups. In Whitefield, they spent a week prior to the inauguration helping to ensure the success of the new facility by educating local school children about waste management, conducting training workshops with adults on the benefits of waste segregation and distributing waste bins and bags to every home in the area.
One of Stonesoup’s key offerings is its ‘2-bin-1-bag’ waste segregation system. The system uses colour-coordinated bins: red for rejected waste and green for compostable kitchen and garden waste. The bag serves as a visual cue to keep recyclables clean, with the goal of increasing the quantity of recyclables and compostable waste and reducing waste that goes into landfills.
Over time, the team noticed that sanitary waste would inevitably end up in landfills, completely unrecyclable and very slow to decompose, because of the use of micro-fibre. “There are no solutions to recycle sanitary waste, so the only way out is to reduce the use of those materials,” says Malini. In this, they saw an opportunity to not just tackle a key waste segment, but also further promote safe menstrual hygiene management practices.
Stonesoup now actively works to support the transition to sustainable sanitary waste management by offering a range of products, including menstrual cups, cloth pads and cloth diapers, to consumers directly or through foundations for free or at nominal prices. Working directly with women and their families, Stonesoup leveraged their existing connections with Bangalore’s communities to drive change. Co-founder Smita Kulkarni, notes that “gaps in information can lead to a lot of mistrust initially. Our job is to swoop in and debunk the myths that women have been told, especially when it comes to access and agency. A big part of this is engaging with women, their families and the communities that surround them.”
Thus, Stonesoup actively seeks to foster communities for women, creating WhatsApp groups and holding awareness sessions and workshops both in-person and online. They have set up a network of “Saathis”; women across key cities and states that can provide technical advice, host information sessions and sell Stonesoup’s products.
Stonesoup sells a variety of sustainable products through its online store, such as cloth bags, organic cosmetics and home composting kits. They even host events that focus on sustainability, such as mushroom cultivation workshops and saree swaps. “Not everyone is as excited about garbage as we are, but growth and sustainable buying is an easier access point. These points of engagement are an important part of sharing the larger message,” says Smita.
Inside the Stonesoup store front in Koramangla, Bangalore. Co-founder, Smita Kulkarni, in the background and Co-CEO Rupal Shah in the foreground. Photo credit: UN Women/ Zoya Khanday
UN Women India met the Stonesoup team through the Industry Disruptor (India), funded by the European Union and implemented in collaboration with The Do. The Industry Disruptor is a business accelerator that provides women entrepreneurs in the sustainable fashion and lifestyle industries with mentorships, investment and opportunities to grow ideas and impact through scaling their ventures. UN Women’s engagement with the Stonesoup team aligns with its larger effort to support women’s economic empowerment, the transition to the green economy and climate change adaptation within the broader sustainable development agenda.
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