HYDERABAD: In a city where litter and garbage have become a ubiquitous sight, a small group of individuals have taken it upon themselves to make a change. A Waste Project, which started as a two-person operation just a few months ago, has grown to a team of 30 volunteers, recently all united in their mission to make Hyderabad a cleaner place. Initially, the team faced challenges in attracting volunteers, but as word of their efforts spread, more and more people were inspired to join the cause.
“I spoke to more people and realised that there are a lot of people with the same line of thought in a large city like Hyderabad,” says Avinash Kalaka, one of the founding members of the project. The team’s approach is simple: they believe that a clean city is a matter of perspective and mindset. “Both rich countries like Japan and countries with struggling economies like Argentina keep their cities clean. Ours being a young nation, a lot of people understand the implications of plastic waste, so we thought it can reach the right people,” explains Avinash.
“I was fed up with seeing my area being polluted and destroyed every day,” says Nahdi Nooman, one of the founding members of the project. “I wanted to do something about it and that’s how A Waste Project was born.” The name of the organisation, A Waste Project, was chosen intentionally to be catchy and non-preachy.
The team has already carried out three projects in cooperation with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and a local school, The Creek Planet. Eswar Srikanth, another founding member of the project, concludes by saying, “We’re just a few people working together to make the city clean. If we get enough volunteers and support from localities, we’ll start cleaning up prime locations too.”