Cities knock at startups' doors to tackle waste

Cities grappling with overflowing landfill sites, plastic waste and errant municipal workers missing garbage pickups are looking towards startups for innovative solutions to civic problems.

As Swachh Bharat Mission, the BJP government's flagship cleanliness programme, completes eight years, the Centre is working towards a bigger objective of "garbage-free cities".

The housing and urban affairs ministry, the nodal ministry for Swachh Bharat Mission (Urban), opened up a Start Up Challenge earlier this year and sought solutions for these issues from startups.


Roopa Mishra, joint secretary and National Mission director (Swachh Bharat Mission), told ET, "We sought recommendations from states and received 244 applications from startups. Of these, a jury of experts has chosen 30 startups to be handheld by the government."

The solutions include turning butchery chicken waste into clothes and accessories by involving local artisans, providing apps to connect vendors with consumers for recyclable waste and converting plastic waste into traditional handlooms. Municipal bodies have already shown interest in the solutions being offered.