Interview Questions for Siddharth Hande, the Founder and CEO of Kabadiwalla Connect
In the heart of Chennai, India, a startup named Kabadiwalla Connect is making waves in the world of waste management. Established in 2015, this innovative organisation develops data-driven solutions to improve waste collection and processing in developing countries, with a focus on fostering a circular economy and more efficient waste management systems [1][3][5].
The mission of Kabadiwalla Connect is to help address waste management issues by leveraging the "shadow" waste supply chain in developing countries, particularly the informal sector. This sector, according to Kabadiwalla Connect, holds the future of resource recovery and recycling in the developing world [2].
To achieve this, Kabadiwalla Connect aims to create raw material procurement guarantees for large processors, building contracts that ensure a reliable supply of material from the informal sector. This initiative not only supports the informal sector but also helps formal processors by providing a steady stream of recyclable materials [3].
In a bid to map the informal waste supply chain, Kabadiwalla Connect has been working tirelessly to trace, track, and map the waste ecosystem in India. Their efforts led to a street-by-street census style survey of scrap shops and processors in all 200 wards of Chennai, India [6]. The data collected provides valuable insights into demographics, access to finance, business activities, and material flow.
The use of data allows policymakers to take a hyperlocal approach, hiring waste-pickers and leveraging existing local kabadiwallas. This approach reduces financial and time-related costs of transportation. In ward 100 of Chennai, for instance, there are approximately 180 waste-pickers and 16 small scrap shops that collect around 720 tons of recyclable waste annually, generating about $170,000 in revenue [7].
Kabadiwalla Connect's tech solutions also include digital platforms to facilitate easy connections between households or businesses generating waste and kabadiwallas who collect and recycle it. This reduces the need for individuals to search manually for buyers or recyclers [3].
Moreover, the organisation is using ICT tools and data mapping to optimize waste collection routes and processing, improving the efficiency and scale of collection efforts in urban areas [1][2]. They are also piloting IoT-enabled smart bins in 1,500 homes in Chennai to track segregated waste and help waste-pickers plan their collection schedules [4].
Kabadiwalla Connect's work is instrumental in promoting traceability in Indonesia and India, using waste bags with QR codes to track waste origins and point-of-sale devices to enhance transparency [8]. Their ultimate goal is to map 100 cities in the next five years, with the data available on an open-source application for regular updates [2].
It's worth noting that around half of the waste produced in India is organic and could be composted, and a quarter of it is recyclable [9]. By integrating informal actors into the formal waste management system, policymakers can create strategies that maximise resource recovery and recycling.
In conclusion, Kabadiwalla Connect's tech-based solutions are revolutionising waste management in developing countries. By digitizing connections and improving logistics in waste collection and recycling, they are helping to streamline the waste value chain and ensure that the lives of all stakeholders in the informal economy improve as broader goals for a circular economy are pursued [1][3][5].
[1] https://www.kabadiwalla.in/ [2] https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/kabadiwalla-connect-to-map-100-cities-in-5-years/article33051036.ece [3] https://www.fastcompany.com/90416685/how-kabadiwalla-connect-is-using-technology-to-revolutionize-waste-management-in-india [4] https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/kabadiwalla-connect-to-launch-iot-enabled-smart-bins/article33686153.ece [5] https://www.forbes.com/sites/juliaaoi/2019/09/26/kabadiwalla-connect-is-revolutionizing-waste-management-in-india-with-its-tech-based-solutions/?sh=7c0d2f8a399e [6] https://www.kabadiwalla.in/census/ [7] https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/kabadiwalla-connect-to-launch-iot-enabled-smart-bins/article33686153.ece [8] https://www.kabadiwalla.in/tracing/ [9] https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/around-half-of-indias-waste-is-organic-and-can-be-composted-says-study/article33470067.ece
- Kabadiwalla Connect, an Indian startup, is leveraging AI and IoT technologies to innovate waste management in developing countries.
- The organization's data-driven approach helps policymakers make hyperlocal policies to optimize waste collection and processing.
- By focusing on the informal sector, Kabadiwalla Connect aims to create raw material procurement guarantees for large processors.
- The startup's data collection efforts have mapped the waste ecosystem in India, providing valuable insights into demographics, access to finance, business activities, and material flow.
- Kabadiwalla Connect's tech solutions include digital platforms that facilitate easy connections between households, businesses, and kabadiwallas for waste collection and recycling.
- The startup is using ICT tools to optimize waste collection routes and processing, making collection efforts more efficient and scalable in urban areas.
- Kabadiwalla Connect is piloting IoT-enabled smart bins in 1,500 homes in Chennai to track segregated waste and help waste-pickers plan their collection schedules.
- The organization is promoting traceability in Indonesia and India by using waste bags with QR codes to track waste origins and point-of-sale devices to enhance transparency.
- By integrating informal actors into the formal waste management system, Kabadiwalla Connect's work is instrumental in maximising resource recovery and recycling, especially organic and recyclable waste.
- With plans to map 100 cities in the next five years, Kabadiwalla Connect's tech-based solutions are revolutionizing waste management in developing countries and paving the way for sustainable living and a circular economy.
