About Us

We are a socio-environmental enterprise with 17 years of experience in waste management and resource recovery.

Our journey began with the introduction of the Municipal Solid Waste Rules in 2000.

Our founder and CEO, Wilma Rodrigues, was a journalist who actively advocated the importance of sustainable and holistic waste management, and ultimately began this enterprise.

We ensure maximum recovery of resources from all streams of waste by diverting it away from landfills and sending it to the right destinations.

State Bank of India was our first client in the year, 2003.

Introduced decentralized waste management units – Kasa Rasas in the year 2012.

Saahas Zero Waste is a registered, empanelled vendor with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) for both dry & wet waste.

With the expansion of our clientele and scope of our operations, we instituted a Material Recovery Facility in 2017, which has the capacity to manage about 16 tons of waste per day.

Currently, we work with 80+ clients across Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Goa – and manage 38 tonnes of waste a day.

Through our initiatives, we are in line with UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to facilitate economic progress, women empowerment and action against climate change.

Our goal is to manage 300 tonnes of waste per day by 2021.

OUR MISSION

We bring together nature, people and technology to provide the most impactful waste management solutions that maximise resource recovery

OUR VISION

To create a zero waste world

through circular economy

Our team

Wilma Rodrigues

founder & CEO

Believes in persistence and practicality. She has had a diverse career path – from being a tour guide and German language translator in the eighties, to a business journalist in the nineties, and for the past 16 years a pioneer in the waste management Industry. When not at work, Wilma likes to spend her time planting and nurturing trees, making compost and being around family.

Shobha Raghavan

Chief Operating Officer

Strategizes overall operations to ensure growth. She’s been associated with SZW for 6 years, and has been constantly evolving various business models as per market demand. An Electrical engineer with over 15 years of experience, she’s worked in the IT industry with a strong focus on Business, Engineering and Technology. She’s also been instrumental in building neighbourhood waste champions and responsible citizens, and has spearheaded her apartment's RRR program through in-house composting.

Gopal

Business Coach & Mentor

PK Gopalakrishnan is a business management professional with three decades of leadership experience in the corporate sector. He is currently an active angel investor with multiple angel networks and helps startups in the early stages with business mentoring. He also works with CII, in assessing organisations to achieve high standards of business excellence and customer satisfaction. He is an alumni of Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.

Tanuja

Lead - Products

An achievement driven professional with extensive experience and a successful record in sales and business development, general management and administration. Honest, committed, friendly and approachable, she always treats people how she would like to be treated. Listening to music, spending quality time with family and being around children are her “mantra to unwind”. She likes to volunteer for social causes and organise events in her apartment complex.

kannika

Lead - Finance

Working to keep the company on target while maintaining profitability. She has worked in the developmental sector for over 15 years, focusing on finance, accounting and administration. When not at work, she enjoys gardening, cooking, visiting hill stations and spending time with family.

Arun

Lead - MRF & EPR

Always on the lookout for new opportunities and solutions for Waste Management. Arun is trained as a Product Designer and has past experience in working this role for a Waste Management company. His interests include playing squash, football and cooking

Annie

Lead - Policy & Regulatory Compliance

Graduate from National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata in 2009, Annie, worked in large corporate law firms until 2017. In 2018, she decided to follow her passion for the environment and joined Saahas Zero Waste to do her bit for the only home that we will have in the universe. When she is not working, she can found planning her next travels or reading. She is happiest in and around water and firmly believes that "vitamin sea" cures most if not all problems

Maithili

Lead - Business Development & Marketing

A graduate from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, her diverse experience extends to the FMCG sector, broadcast journalism, PR and theatre. In 2018, she joined SZW to bring her consumer and market knowledge to a cause she has always felt passionate about. When not at work, she enjoys time with family and friends or making for the outdoors -- hills over beaches any-day!

Awards

Namma Bengaluru Award for the Best Social Entrepreneur, 2012.

Swachh Best Practice Award 2018 for our Zero Waste Programme for Bulk Generators.

Waislitz Global Citizen Award, 2017.

CII Emerging Entrepreneur for Southern India, 2016.

Action for India (AFI), 4th Annual Forum Award for Social Entrepreneurship, 2015.

Recognized as one of the Top 12 Social Enterprises in India by NDTV – The Real Deal Runner-up in Season 1 of The Real Deal, 2016.

testimonials

Jiji Thomas Associate Director, RMZ

Dr Nagesh Tyagi Adithya Birla Fashion Retail Ltd

Srikanth EHS Head, Accenture

Roots Academy

In 2016, we at RMZ took a conscious decision to implement the best practices in waste management. We’ve introduced on-site composting and dry waste management systems in each of our tech-parks. We are proud of our waste management systems and for having been able to divert 95% of our solid waste away from landfills. We are also deeply grateful to Saahas Zero Waste for their efficient and holistic on-site services, and for being with us in this journey right from when we started out with an idea. Apart from segregation and collection, they work closely on the ground to manage our on-site facilities and also track the waste that goes out right up to the point that it gets recycled. Their attention to detail brought down our proportion of Reject waste from 60% to just 6%.

We have 250 stores across Bangalore. Together with our waste management partner SZW, we trained our internal teams to understand the different waste types and introduce segregation at source. All packaging material together with other waste is now managed efficiently by SZW, for the entire network of stores. Through their MIS system we also have real time data on the quantity and quality of waste which is recovered and recycled. We are now working towards expanding this system to our stores all across the country.

When it comes to sustainability we are clear that our waste is our responsibility and we need to comply with regulations so our waste goes through a recovery process. We are happy to find a partner like Saahas Zero Waste that is committed to a Circular Economy. They manage our waste through hassle-free off-site solutions, and provide recommendations on how waste can first be reduced. We did away with plastic liners in our dustbins and are happy with the bin-to-bin system proposed by them. Their approach and implementation is very aligned to our needs and has exceeded our expectations.

In an effort to contribute positively to the environment, Roots Academy has chosen to have our school diaries made from recycled paper. The team from SZW was quick to understand our ideas and customize the same. This has been a huge success with the students who are always excited to receive their copy of the eco-friendly school diary, and parents who’ve been appreciative of the initiative.