Garbage, garbage everywhere, not enough start-ups helping out, was our lament until we came across a company that is doing its bit — Urban Rebox IT. The same thought used to haunt the start-up's Managing Director Sai Prateek Vangari when he used to make the journey from Tarnaka to CMR Engineering College — where he was pursuing a BTech in Electronics and Communications — and he used to see for himself the overflowing garbage dumps on the way. So the 24-year-old registered his start-up in January 2019 as a waste collection service. But now, he has gone above and beyond in its duties, which include working with the GHMC (Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation) and making the most of technology.
If you have visited Janapriya Utopia in Attapur, you may have noticed a QR code board outside every flat. This was installed for 1,200 households in the apartment by Urban Rebox IT last May. "Any household that doesn't segregate their waste gets an alert and the third time, they get an e-challan," informs Prateek. This project is aptly called Swach Gruha. And just last month, this project was extended to Yeddumailaram village in Sangareddy district as well. "The sarpanch is very enthusiastic about the project so it has actually been a smooth journey when it comes to his village," says the happy entrepreneur. About 700 households in the village now have QR codes outside their doors.
.jpg?w=640&auto=format%2Ccompress)
But segregation alone isn't the solution, reducing waste is. And to reduce waste, one must know the exact quantum of waste being generated. So in the dump yard at Rajendranagar, the start-up installed a QR code board last month. "The idea is that the garbage will be weighed and then, after scanning the QR code, it will be updated in our system," Prateek explains and adds, "You see, Hyderabad generates over 55 metric tons of waste every day and about 40 per cent of it is dry waste and it still ends up in the landfills. It's a huge loss of resources as well, we want to help get that down to five or even 10 per cent." He also strongly feels that if technology is not used in the waste management space now, the future will be chaotic, to say the least.
Going forward, the idea is to take steps towards the Smart City initiative. "The QR codes outside households can be integrated in a way that you can pay your property tax, water bill and more at a single space, so that one doesn't have to go from one website to another to pay the bills,” says the ambitious innovator. Now this sounds really interesting!
Collecting now:
- Paper waste: They recycle it in its original form or after it is shredded
- Plastic waste: They treat plastic in a way that is sustainable
- Metal waste: If segregated properly, they believe it can be managed
- Glass waste: Recycling glass reduces the need to produce fresh ones
For more on them, check out reboxit.in
