THIS company transforms waste into compost for a nominal fee of Rs..., here’s how

Mumbai, a vast metropolitan city, a suburb with growing industries, has been facing the issue of overflowing landfills for a long time. However, a local waste management agency has come to its rescue. Lok Nirmal Heights, a society in Mumbai, has been transformed by the agency as its commitment to sustainable waste management has been rewarding. The agency, ‘Green Practices’, has been crucial in turning the society’s overflowing waste into nutrient-rich compost by the method of waste separation.  

The compost aids in growing green spaces without much effort nor added costs.  

Effective waste management system in Mumbai’s suburb 

“Our society has been part of this waste management initiative since 2019. Initially, dealing with waste was quite challenging, but thanks to our collaboration with the company, we’ve streamlined the process. Their team collects segregated waste at midnight, a necessity as per municipal regulations to avoid daytime traffic. This arrangement ensures efficient waste collection, and in return, we receive nutrient-rich compost, which we use to enhance the greenery around our society,” says Goutam, manager of the Lok Nirmal Society. 

“The service has significantly benefited us and maintains satisfaction among residents, even saving us money on maintenance costs. It costs us less than Rs 100 per month per flat. We receive compost for free,” he adds. 

This green practice covering sustainable methods takes away a higher burden on municipal waste systems and instills a responsibility of co-ownership in a society making the residents realise the importance of working together to achieve the common goal of effective waste management. 

Who is Mana Shah? Woman behind the effect waste management practice 

Mana Shah, the woman behind this green initiative, has been iconic in bringing sustainability and change in Mumbai’s Lok Nirmal Heights. Mana Shah is herself a Mumbaikar who started working in her family business of managing petrol pumps. She then gained experience and became the company’s president, managing factory operations and service delivery. Though doing good and keeping herself busy in her company affairs, her heart was far from satisfied.  

Her new calling was inspired by the 2006 documentary film An Inconvenient Truth which led her to this path of social change. In an interview, she said, “In the theater, I just saw the title of the documentary. I didn’t understand what it was about, but I still went ahead. The documentary was a revelation. It shook me to the core with its stark presentation of climate change’s grim realities,” she shares. 

Mana Shah’s inspiration 

“With half of the population residing along coastlines, cities like Mumbai are among the top ten most threatened by rising sea levels. Our continued dumping of massive volumes of waste into these coastal regions only accelerates the risk. Mumbai’s vulnerability to rising sea levels was a particularly haunting thought; after all, it is my home,” she added. 

This cinematic experience planted a seed — a commitment to do something meaningful in the green space. Later, a year of research took her to Auroville, where she immersed herself in the world of eco-friendly technologies. Here, she found her calling in waste management, and in 2010, she founded her own enterprise, Green Practices’. 

This gave her a real push and she committed herself to environmental protection. Her year-long research led her to Auroville, where she learned about various eco-friendly technologies. She then fired her passion towards waste management and in 2010 founded her company, ‘Green Practices’. She charges a nominal fee of Rs 100 to turn waste into compost by transporting waste from landfills into waste recycling centres.