Every human activity generates waste and yet management of the waste is left as an afterthought and not made an integral part of our planning. At Saahas, we believe that it is time human systems mimic natural systems where Nothing Is Waste! Saahas plays the role of an enabler in India’s path towards Circular Economy and we help build holistic and scientific solutions to reduce and manage solid waste based on the principles of Circular Economy. We believe in integrating decentralization and localized climate action into larger, systemic changes and our programs focus on:
We Have Only One Planet
Time to wake up to the grim reality and get our act together
UN SDGs Impacted Through Our Work
Good Health and Well-Being
1200+ women converted to use sustainable menstruation products, 30 wash stations installed, 1000 hygiene kits distributed
Gender Equality
12 out of 20 managers are women
Clean Water And Sanitation
30 wash stations installed; 1000 hygiene kits distributed; 7 water bodies reclaimed
Affordable and Clean Energy
Biogas generation from food waste of 6.8TPD enabled
Sustainable Cities and Communities
Enabled source segregation of 47352MT of waste, 2565MT of dry waste and 24482MT of wet waste managed in controlled facilities
Responsible Consumption and Production
78.62MT waste reduced, 905MT of dry waste sent for recycling, 24482MT wet waste processed; 22.05 lakh people reached out to for awareness on sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature
Climate Action
195 GPs and 9 ULBs supported.
Total CO2e emissions reduced in the year : 49,460 Tonnes.
As we are all scrambling for solutions to reverse climate change, there are some false solutions that we would like to warn you about... solutions that are "GREEN WASHING" and can lead to bigger problems.
Saahas partnered with Rainmatter Foundation and put together a guidebook for offices to relook at their processes and reduce the waste footprint. The guidebook and a few accompanying posters are available for download below.
The waste management hierarchy is a conceptual framework designed to guide and rank waste management decisions at both the individual and organisational level.
The waste management hierarchy is a conceptual framework designed to guide and rank waste management decisions at both the individual and organizational level. It gives top priority to waste prevention, followed by re-use, recycling, recovery and finally disposal. The most preferred actions are at the top and the least preferred are at the bottom of the pyramid. At present, the efforts for waste disposal are far greater than for waste reduction. There is a strong need for inverting the pyramid and focussing all efforts on reduction.
The circular economy is a system where materials never become waste and nature is regenerated. In a circular economy, products and materials are kept in circulation through processes like maintenance, reuse, refurbishment, remanufacture, recycling, and composting. The circular economy tackles climate change and other global challenges, like biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution, by decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources.
By practicing source segregation, we can recover up to 90% of resources from our waste & become an enabler for the shift from a linear to a circular economy.
The latest Central Government Rules for different waste streams can be found here
What are people saying about Saahas
As a Corporate we are always looking for NGOs that we can rely on completely. While working with Saahas, we never have to worry about the quality of work or fulfilment of deliverables. We tried a new pilot project with Saahas with extremely difficult deliverables. Saahas ensured that they not only meet the target numbers but also over achieve them. The accountability that senior management takes is something that we really appreciate in this partnership.
Itika, Manager
Tata Realty and Infrastructure Ltd
Juniper Networks has been partnering with Saahas since 2018 for our Asha Kirana initiative. I admire the Saahas team's commitment to making a long-term change while keeping the immediate needs of the community in mind. The program has evolved over the last few years with addition of livelihood generation and sustainable menstruation, with the panchayat taking ownership of the waste management operations. I am impressed that Saahas's work is always backed up with authentic quantitative ... Read More
Gurumoorthy Mathrubootham, Manager- CSR
Juniper Networks Pvt. Ltd
I am Laxman Mahalungkar from Mahalunge Ingle village. I have a building in which 50 rooms are there and all given on rent to migrants. After start of the project by Saahas, we give wet and dry waste separately. We have told all the tenants living in the building to handover segregated waste only. Earlier there used to be a lot of mosquitos because of unhygienic conditions due to waste dumping, but now there is ... Read More
Laxman Mahalungkar
Owner of residential block in Mahalunge Ingale
You have been working very hard to make our village so clean village by providing comprehensive information about solid waste management within the Panchayat, the role of the villagers in separating green and dry waste is valuable and you have organised many awareness programmes to make people aware, many jathas, demonstrations, community awareness programmes, instructions. Placards, improvement of waste disposal sites, photocopies of waste segregation and calendars. We heartily congratulate you for all your cooperation ... Read More
Panchayat Development Officer (PDO)
Sugganahalli GP, Ballari
We have changed the bathroom tiles and half a bag of old tiles and concrete was left out. There was Teflon glass which we could not dispose of for many years. We could not dispose of it through our apartment since they refused to accept any building waste. This was kept in the balcony where we used to dry our clothes. We could not clean the balcony and use it for drying the clothes. This ... Read More
Kannan Ramadas
Salarpuria serenity, HSR layout
Due to the constant efforts of these boys and girls, the waste management situation in the village has improved, from small children to grown-ups, everyone has been made aware about source segregation, and today we are using the compost made from our own wet waste in our plants. The waste collection vehicle comes everyday now, the safai karmacharis have started coming regularly. We can feel the winds of change in the village.
Chatarpal Singh
Head of the recently formed Sikanderpur Sudhar Samiti which works towards the development of the Sikanderpur village.
I used to cry when my periods came every month. I would feel that I did not want this life. Usually, the workload would be most during the time of my periods and there would be inspections as well. Every month, it was the same problem. Using pads made it difficult to walk as it would cut into the sides when we were wearing them; it used to be very uncomfortable. Thank you very much ... Read More
Experience as shared by the Pourakarmikas abouts usage of menstrual cups
Program Linked Websites
