Recycling

Once hit by a deadly plague, Surat is now India’s cleanest city. With smart tech, community effort, and a Rs 500 crore waste economy, it shows how cleanliness can become a habit.

For 100+ years, West Bengal’s Mathurapur has hosted Bhanga Mela, a fair where broken pots, cracked pans & old radios are repaired, reused & find new homes.

Samvit Govindani and Shaurya Sharma are tackling plastic pollution by turning discarded PVC banners into stylish everyday products. Their initiative, ‘Project ReFlex’, empowers women from low-income backgrounds by providing steady work and income, turning environmental challenges into meaningful opportunities.

When Dr Ruby Makhija became RWA secretary, she set out to fix one problem in her Delhi colony. 8 years later, not a single bag of waste has reached the landfill — and the numbers will surprise you.

What if weddings didn’t leave behind heaps of trash? Meet Uma Ram from Chennai, who turned her big day into a celebration of love — for each other and for the planet. From composting one tonne of waste to wearing her grandmother’s 50-year-old saree, she proves that sustainability can be woven into every moment.

Over 90% of food delivery containers in cities like Delhi and Mumbai are made of black plastic. Durable and sleek, they’ve become the norm—but many are made from untraceable recycled materials. This raises critical questions about food safety, poor recyclability, and the urgent need for safer packaging alternatives.

You might think your rubbish ends with the bin, but for someone else, that is just the beginning. Discover how small and thoughtful changes at home can lead to safer working conditions for the people who handle your waste every day.

From e-waste to compostable scraps, this simple, no-jargon guide helps you understand your trash, sort it better, and support a cleaner India.

Inspired by a neighbourhood kabadiwaala, Henik Gala and Shreyas Jalapur built ScrapJi — a tech-enabled scrap collection startup that now recycles over 10,000 kg of waste every month in Thane. Their mission? A trash-free India by 2030.

From beaches to hills, these inspiring NGOs are turning citizens into climate warriors. Here’s how and where you can join them.