Chennai-based social venture Wasted 360 Solutions has started a crowd funding initiative to address two environmental problems. One, management and recycling of discarded glass including bottles; two, shortage of sand.
The waste management company is venturing into this area for the first time and would seek to promote the glass-to-sand concept in metros.
The post on Gocrowdera.com says the company receives discarded glass from individuals and businesses in abundance but the glass recycling infrastructure is virtually non-existent.
“Currently, glass gets dumped in landfills because the informal waste sector refuses to collect it as the remuneration is nil. Collection or storage is unmanageable in urban spaces by all those involved in the waste management ecosystem (formal, informal and government bodies). Our goal is to set up a proof-of-concept processing facility that is entirely crowdfunded,” reads the note titled “Support our glass story”.
Ann Anra, founder,Wasted 360 Solutions, which has been collecting Tetra Pak and other types of waste from citizens to convert them into useful items, says the main challenge with glass is that it does not come with EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility).
The initiative is inspired by a similar project by Glass Half Full, NOLA in the United States where “proof of concept” has been established.
The crowdfunding is only for procuring the machine that comes with a sifter that gives various grades of sand.
“A glass machine manufacturer Glass2sand.in now has a presence in Mumbai, so it’s going to be cost-effective but we would need ₹3 lakh for a machine,” says Anna, adding that a machine can crush 300 bottles an hour.
She says this social initiative aligns with eight SDG goals, and they are looking for partners who can help them in other ways. The exercise is geared towards promoting the production of sustainable end products; helping in the restoration of depleting coastal regions;and job creation.
“We will be happy to have Universities partner with us to say how it affects marine life,” she says. They have also approached Rotary Clubs for funding.
On International Coastal Cleanup day, which falls on September 17, from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., volunteers of Wasted 360 Solutions and GIZ India Vidhai will walk along the Neelangarai beach to raise awareness on marine litter including glass. Citizens can join to learn more about the initiative.
