The mobile application providing critical waste management and disposal services in India’s Kerala State
India is among the world’s top 10 generators of municipal solid waste, amounting to over 62 million tons (MT) in a year. Of generated waste, only 43 MT are collected, and 12 MT are treated before disposal. The remainder, which includes hazardous, plastic, biomedical, and e-waste, is left untreated and discarded in dumping yards. Waste management systems fall short, with insufficient segregation of waste types at collection, often due to little training and practices such as waste burning, causing environmental repercussions. Waste workers, often informally trained, are also exposed to hazardous and unsanitary materials, leading to health risks. In Kochi, a fire at the city’s dumping yard in Brahmapuram in March 2023 underscored a critical gap in effective waste management and exacerbated the issue as the city’s dumping yard was rendered unusable.
Kochi-based startup Aakri was founded in 2019 to address the gap in waste management, promote recycling among households, businesses, and industries, and reduce environmental impact overall. With services spanning seven of Kerala State’s districts, Aakri collects scrap and waste and delivers it to end recycling centers, with a view of ensuring “zero waste, a greener earth, and a sustainable future for all.” Using a smartphone app, households can book scrap removal services, for which they are financially compensated based on the value of the scrap collected. For commercial clients, Aakri assesses the volume of waste through photos submitted by companies before arriving on-site to remove the waste. Aakri also specializes in eliminating biomedical waste, setting itself apart from other solutions. Following the March 2023 fire at the Brahmapuram dumping yard, Aakri worked with local bodies to segregate and collect medical waste, transporting it to a biomedical waste treatment plant outside the city.
Aakri’s services are not limited to its core waste collection and disposal activities. The startup runs an online marketplace platform that allows users to buy and sell scrap and encourages recycling. Aakri also offers an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) loop service, which offers industries the opportunity to track whether their products have been recycled, measure their carbon footprint, and earn green points. Further, Aakri engages in community service initiatives, including social awareness campaigns, tree planting initiatives, and beach clean-ups, mobilizing volunteers to assist.
With over 65 thousand customers leveraging Aakri’s services, Aakri is actively promoting the adoption of sustainable waste management solutions, encouraging recycling, and helping prevent harm to both the environment and human health through professional waste collection and disposal practices. As the centralized capacity to provide waste management services develops and expands, employing technological tools – even as simple as a mobile app – becomes crucial to ensure progress towards climate goals and improving quality of life.
