A new start-up has found an innovative way of recycling household waste and making people contribute that sum to recognised non-governmental organisations.
The brainchild of 22-year-old Gurashish Sahni and 23-year-old Rahul Nainani, Raddiconnect.com has given recycling a new twist.“We connect the customer, the NGO and the raddiwalla. Once the order is placed on our website, we send a raddiwalla to the customer’s house. Based on the rate for that day, the money is taken and the proceeds are sent to the NGO. A receipt is given to the customer certifying their contribution to the NGO. The raddiwalla also gets a share of the proceeds,” Mr. Sahni said.
“We were at a start-up week powered by Google last November. We pitched the idea there. When we showed everyone videos of raddiwallas willing to join us, we knew it was a hit. We went on to win that competition. Since then, we seriously took it up,” said Mr. Nainani. The start-up was launched in Mumbai on August 5.
They feel raddiwallas are often looked down upon. This initiative makes sure they are treated with respect. We also follow a standardised rate and inform the customer before the raddiwalla is sent, said Mr. Sahni.
“Right now, customer acquisition is on our agenda, more than profit. Fortunately, the NGOs have also been accommodative by letting us share the proceeds in a way that benefits the raddiwallas too. At the moment, we are running on personal investments, ” said Sid Vashi who handles the marketing for the firm.
‘More receptive’Those collecting waste material are happy to be part of the network. “We profit in the same way as we used to. People are now more receptive and we know we are contributing to society,” Rajendra Gautam, a raddiwalla from Khar told The Hindu .
