After wet waste for bio-gas, how Swayambhu is scaling its efforts with upcycled products from plastic waste

As we celebrate plastic-free July and take pledges to avoid single-use plastic and incorporate sustainability in our everyday lives, it’s also important to understand how large-scale solutions are also making an impact.

Swayambhu, a startup which has already made inroads in the clean energy sector is now expanding its efforts to integrate environmental preservation with the promotion of hygiene. Its aim is to establish a cleaner, healthier and sustainable future for the communities it works with.

In 2015, Akansha Singh started Swayambhu Innovative Solutions as a for-profit venture that generated bio-energy by linking communities to cumulative biogas production (CBP) using domestic/kitchen, livestock and farm waste on a mass scale to produce biogas. This generates electricity and by-products like organic manure and bio-pesticides.

Working on a decentralised model, land is taken on lease for 20 years and waste is purchased daily by local farmers.  This project, first initiated in Sitamarhi and Pusa in Bihar, creates livelihoods and contributes towards efficient rural waste management.

“After working in Bihar and nearby regions, where we constructed biogas plants for communities, we realised while we had taken care of the wet waste, we were leaving behind the dry waste,” Singh tells SocialStory.

The solution to single-use plastic waste

Swayambhu was constructing a biogas plant in Haridwar when it found that there was a lot of plastic in the soil. Added to this was the large-scale urban pollution, exacerbated by single-use plastic in the form of plastic packets, sanitary napkins and diapers.

“In a village in Haridwar where we were working, we cleared an entire landfill and converted it into a dry waste collection centre. This put us in the right direction. We decided to work on upcycling single-use plastic as it’s largely ignored and harmful to the environment too,” she adds.

According to a report titled, The National Circular Economy Roadmap for Reducing Plastic Waste in India, the country recycles only 8% of its plastic waste, and it would only marginally increase to 11% in 2034.

Singh points out that broken pieces of plastic from chairs or heavier items can be upcycled but single-use plastic like MLP (multi-layered plastic) and polythene mostly used to package milk or vegetables are hardly used for this purpose. This is because the ragpicker has collect a larger amount of these to be able to make a sizeable volume.

It has formed a group of ragpickers in Haridwar, Rishikesh and Delhi and appointed an aggregator to collect the plastic.

So, what happens to the plastic waste that is collected?

The plastic undergoes thorough cleaning and sorting at Material Facilities Centres (MRFs) to ensure removal of any contaminants and debris and is taken to Swayambhu’s factory where it is shredded into smaller pieces. These are then processed and compressed into durable plastic sheets.

“Using these sheets, we have made various products like benches, tree guards, flower pots, dustbins, and more. The benches have been provided to anganwadis and tree guards are in use in plantations managed by the Rishikesh Nagar Nigam,” Singh elaborates.

Swayambhu along with Central Government’s Namami Gange Programme and soap brand, Lifebuoy entered into a partnership in 2023 called ‘Gift of the Ganga’.

“This partnership rolled out plastic waste collection and upcycling efforts in the Ganga. The goal is to create 500 handwashing stations with 27,500 kg of upcyclable plastic waste that can after use be upcycled up to five times reducing any negative impact on the environment,” says Singh.

The pedal operated water and heat resistant handwashing stations will be set up in more than 250 schools reaching more than two hundred thousand children – helping them stay protected from illness!

Swayambhu’s upcycled products are sold in Haridwar, Rishikesh, Delhi and Mumbai and is largely, the B2B arm of Swayambhu.

The best part about these sheets, Singh says is that if broken, they can be upcycled again into sheets, creating a continuous process of upcycling.

Swayambhu provides employment to more than 100 ragpickers and employs 25 people at its factory in Haridwar. It works with wet waste for its biogas plant and dry waste in the factory – making it a win for environmental conservation and sustainability. It also organises awareness sessions in schools and organizes activities to inculcate the importance of personal hygiene and environmental responsibility in students.

Recently, it launched a campaign in collaboration with TISSA Alumni Foundation on crowdfunding platform, Milaap to provide shelter to stray cats, dogs and birds. These shelters will be made from recycled plastic sheets and placed in streets, parks, schools, etc. 

Presently based in Haridwar, Singh would like to set up a unit in every state because she believes upcycling of single-use plastic is not taken seriously.

“We also want to work with different government departments to popularise these upcycled products. We are looking at expanding into Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in the coming years,” she says.

(The story has been updated to reflect that it is a for-profit venture.)