Recycle Baba, a subsidiary of Carbzero Green Pvt. Ltd., offers a seamless solution for selling scrap online in Delhi. Their user-friendly platform allows people to conveniently schedule scrap pickups. Dedicated to improving the world, the startup aims to make a positive impact on the environment by collecting and recycling scrap efficiently. The company provides a hassle-free service while reducing waste and promoting sustainability. With a commitment to environmental responsibility, Recycle Baba ensures a variety of recycling services to meet diverse needs. They are striving to make the recycling experience seamless and satisfying.
In a candid interaction with The Interview World, Aasif Khan, Founder of Recycle Baba underscores his company’s mission to create a sustainable world by recycling waste. Here are the excerpts from his interview.
Q: Could you provide insights into Recycle Baba, highlighting its unique features and value proposition in the market?
A: Recycle Baba stands out as the premier online kabadiwala service in India, offering a seamless and free doorstep scrap collection service. To avail of our services, simply visit our user-friendly website, schedule a pickup, and await our efficient pickup team’s arrival at your location. Upon reaching your place, our team not only pays you for the collected scrap but also ensures its swift transportation to our warehouse.
Once at our warehouse, we meticulously segregate the scrap before directing it to various specialized recyclers. Currently, our operations are flourishing in the vibrant region of Delhi NCR.
Our outstanding service is reflected in our impressive 4.8 ratings on Google Business. What sets us apart is our unique proposition – we buy everything. Unlike our competitors who limit their acquisitions to specific items, we gladly accept furniture, clothes, ceiling sheets, wood scrap, and more. In essence, we provide an all-encompassing scrap collection service.
Embodying our commitment to simplicity, our slogan asserts that you can dispose of your scrap with a mere click of the recycle button.
We take pride in offering five primary scrap collection categories: metal, paper, plastic, e-waste, and furniture and clothes. This comprehensive approach ensures that you can conveniently recycle a wide array of materials through our platform.
Q: How do you anticipate the urgency of waste recycling, particularly in metropolitan areas, evolving over the next 5 to 10 years, surpassing the current level of concern?
A: In the 21st century, we are witnessing unprecedented technological advancements, making it the most transformative era in history. Compared to previous centuries, our pace of innovation has accelerated, ushering in a remarkable era of change.
Over the past two decades, technology has evolved rapidly. Consider the shift from bulky 1.8 kg voice mobile phones to today’s sleek 100-gram smartphones. This exemplifies the incredible progress we’ve made in a relatively short span.
Reflecting on daily tasks, just two decades ago, washing clothes was a manual endeavor. However, today every household has a washing machine. We relied on pots and wooden sticks to separate cream from milk. Contrast this with our current reality, where we have access to appliances like blowers and mixer grinders, streamlining our chores. An array of electrical products now dominates our lives, constituting 80% of the items we use.
Mechanization has become the norm, transforming manual tasks into efficient, automated processes. India, for instance, generates approximately 1.5 lakh tonnes of e-waste annually, underscoring the pervasive influence of electronics in our lives. While we are progressing technologically, e-waste is also growing exponentially. That’s the dark underbelly of development sans sustainability.
Q: What key stakeholders are actively engaged in collaboration for the implementation of this recycling process?
A: Engaged in both B2B and B2C sectors, our company offers free doorstep services in the B2C domain. In the B2B realm, our focus is more specialized, considering the diverse range of industries that produce significant waste volumes—sometimes thousands of times more than a typical household.
Distinguishing between recyclable and non-recyclable waste is crucial in the B2B sector. For instance, certain companies manufacture non-recyclable foam used in cushions. We extend our services to such enterprises, offering insights through research and analysis to explore recycling or upcycling possibilities.
An example lies in a Delhi-based company in Bhawana, that produces non-recyclable plastic products. Conventional disposal methods involve burning and releasing tons of carbon dioxide into the environment. In an innovative approach, we experimented with heating the plastic to 80 degrees Celsius, transforming it into a pliable material that takes the form of a brick.
Collaborating with upcyclers, we repurpose this previously non-recyclable plastic into street tiles. This process, known as upcycling, applies to various non-recyclable materials, such as bones. Bones, primarily composed of calcium, can be upcycled into various calcium-based products, demonstrating our commitment to sustainable and creative waste management solutions.
Q: What’s your expansion plan?
A: Presently, our expansion strategy is focused on Delhi NCR, where we’ve successfully generated revenue ranging from Rs. 5 to 6 crores over the past 11 months. Despite this achievement, our current market share represents only 0.1% of the entire Delhi scrap market.
Our overarching goal is to extend our coverage to 100% of the Delhi NCR market. Subsequently, we plan to venture into tier 1 cities, with a particular emphasis on South India. This decision is driven by our observation that individuals in South India tend to be more environmentally conscious. Interestingly, we have refrained from advertising in South India. Nonetheless, we consistently receive calls from Bangalore, Chennai, and Kerala. Notably, Kerala stands out, generating two to three calls per month from individuals urging us to initiate our services in their state. Their enthusiasm is driven by a desire to participate in waste recycling initiatives.
