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Ready to sell your trash?

Last Updated 13 February 2018, 13:59 IST

With a tagline that says 'It's easy being Green', it is not hard to decipher Khalibottle's agenda. The web-based startup is a  platform for individuals and corporates to sell their trash; a unique initiative to tackle a problem that is fast assuming gargantuan proportions in the city.

Founded by Naveen Mariyan, who quit his job at 'Zomato' for this,  'Khalibottle' took shape around a year back.

"The customer has to register first in our website. Post registration, it takes just 15 seconds to schedule a pickup request. The customer has to specify the approximate quantity of the product to be picked and recycled, update the location and schedule the pickup at a time convenient to them. There are different methods of customer paybacks, like giving them cash in hand or coupons from Flipkart, Freshmenu, Big Bazaar and so on. Customers can also donate scrap to charity," explains Naveen.  

'Khalibottle' is a part of the NGO Jeevodaya and is currently functioning out of two warehouses in HBR layout and Kammanahalli.  Till date, they have recycled more than 119 tons of trash and acquired over 4,256 registered users.  

"We strictly follow a rule that non-recyclable products will not be picked up from the doorstep at any cost," says Naveen, adding,"Once the trash reaches our warehouse, a dedicated team segregates the products into categories. This is then sent to the  recycling factories located in and around Karnataka, Tamil  Nadu and Hyderabad."

Lending a dignity to the recycling profession was one of the main challenges the team faced. "Getting corporate companies and apartments to come to 'Khalibottle' was a huge challenge for us. We introduced a dress code for our staff, are giving them weekly training sessions and created a formal environment to work in. We brought in certified digital weighing machines and maintained a standard price for all products."

"We have whole apartment communities recycling with us now. They are generating around 370kg for dry waste per week. This is huge progress," he says with a smile.  

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(Published 13 February 2018, 13:42 IST)

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