The team of Ecocrew picks up recyclables from a home in J P Nagar.
Credit: Special Arrangement
Trying to declutter but have no clue how to discard the excess? A young team based in Begur has created an app called ‘Ecocrew’. They will pick up articles you wish to dispose of and give you cash in exchange.
The app was launched in 2023 by Mohammed Qhizer Jameel and his friend Muqtadir Ahmed. After visiting a few landfills, the duo realised that one of the city’s biggest problems was getting rid of dry recyclables. “Thus, we decided to develop the app,” Jameel says. The team has been able to keep around 9.12 lakh kg of recyclables away from landfills so far.
Aside from ceramic and wooden articles, they pick up objects like old clothes and shoes, mattresses, metal parts, plastic and metal utensils, and electronic items like washing machines, refrigerators, television sets, and even earphones. “If the electronics work, we ask our customers to sell them on OLX. If they still insist on us picking up the objects, we separate them into recyclables and reusables at our warehouse,” adds Jameel. Reusable items are moved to their thrift store in Begur, where one of their warehouses is located. They have another warehouse in Mahadevapura.
“We hope to set up two more warehouses in the city to cover more areas. Currently we cater to 50% of Bengaluru, which includes areas like Whitefield, Bellandur, K R Puram, Indiranagar, Koramangala, Electronics City, J P Nagar, Banashankari, and Wilson Garden,” he shares.
The team spreads awareness about the items that can be recycled and how one should store them until they come for pickups. “The pricing of the articles depends on what they are and their condition,” he adds.
How to use app
Check if pickups are available in your area on the app. If the area is serviceable, raise a pickup request. Click photographs of the recyclables you want to give away and share them on the app. “This is for us to understand the quantity. For the pickup, a date and time can be selected, according to the customer’s convenience, and a UPI ID is shared,” Jameel says. If the customer doesn’t want the money, they can donate it to one of the four NGOs listed on the app.
“After the order is placed, our team arrives at your doorstep, and an OTP exchange happens between the executive and the customer for the order to go through. Based on the item’s weight, the rate is calculated,” he explains.
The customer then receives cash for the objects along with an equal amount of Eco coins. “These coins can be used to purchase products, such as bamboo combs and toothbrushes, on their website,” he says.
Download Ecocrew on the App Store or Google Play Store. For details, call 78928 52729.