Plastic pollution is one of the most significant environmental challenges we face today. Every year, millions of tons of plastic waste end up in our oceans and landfills, causing harm to wildlife, ecosystems, and human health. However, a growing number of startups are tackling this problem by developing innovative solutions for recycling plastic waste and focusing on recycling plastic waste and creating a more sustainable future.
Let’s look at five of these startups that are recycling plastic to change the world.
Potholeraja
PotHoleRaja is a social initiative born to protect lives & bring out social understanding about road safety among all public for a better India. Attention is to having accident-free roads, safeguarding lives through road creation, fixing potholes, protecting millions of road users from accidents, saving crores worth of energy, and using waste substances for a reliable future.
Their Research & Development team has introduced an eco-innovation product called GridMats, using recycled Domestic and Industrial plastic waste to encourage and evolve with innovation. They are committed to ensuring road safety for the community at large. They have fixed more than 8000 potholes at a pan-India level and have contributed immensely to recycling plastic with their upcycled plastic roadblocks.
Rhino Machines
Manish Kothari is the founder of Rhino Machines. They make rhino bricks from foundry dust and plastic waste. The thing that makes Rhino bricks special is that they are more economical and much tougher.
These bricks are two and a half times stronger than the traditional red clay bricks consuming around 70% to 80% of foundry dust with eighty percent lesser use of natural deposits. They are working on making such bricks that can be interlocked and will thus eliminate the cement and mortar usage making it more environment-friendly and recycling plastic efficiently.
Basic shit
It was founded by Ashwani Aggarwal. The shortage of sanitation facilities leads to the evolution of this startup. They build low-cost portable urinals. It started with the identification of 30 walls in Delhi where more than 500 people peed.
The startup took permission to make basic urinals in front of such walls. Basic shit is trying to solve one of the most challenging issues in the country and that’s sanitation by recycling plastic bottles.
EcoKaari
It is a Pune-based social enterprise managed by Nandan Bhat. This startup has recycled more than 20 million pieces of plastic until now. They use handloom and swindles while also making sure that local artists are provided with a way of sustenance.
The recycled clothes are used by the startup to create everyday necessities like bags, corporate and personal gifting items, home decor, and even school and office requirements, making lifestyle friendly and sustainable.
Vetra
This initiative was started by students of Sri Aurobindo College where they use bamboo straws to replace plastic dependency. They are successful in replacing about 60 kg of plastic to this date. Their contribution is one among four to proceed to the Race to Rethinking Plastic finals at the prestigious Enactus World Cup which happened in Puerto Rico in October 2022.
They aim to replace cups, straws, spoons, and glass with more eco-friendly options. Single-use plastic is lethal in a country like ours. Their project takes the authority to aware people of plastic use and also provide an alternative to make a change in society.
We are finally focusing on a healthy, rich environment, and we are creating a way of life where we don’t harm the environment or steal from it. India is finally making progress towards a sustainable and environmentally friendly future.
This is the kind of future we all need, and there are hundreds of startups working on it. If you know of any organisation or person working to save the environment and eliminate plastic, do let us know in the comments section.
If you liked reading this story, you could also read about Meet Aparna, Who Is Making Recycled Newspaper Pencil That Will Grow Into A Tree, Will Curb Down Deforestation
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