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‘We have to know how to use plastic efficiently’

BNE News Desk


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Young entrepreneurs from Shillong talk about their start-up & how it’s helping in recycling plastic

Shillong: The hill city of Shillong, which was once known for its pristine beauty and fresh air, is bearing the brunt of unplanned urbanisation and the lack of a waste management system. While the city streets are strewn with plastic waste, the streams and rivulets in and around Shillong are choking with garbage and non-degradable waste. But two youngsters have found a solution to mitigate, if not wipe out, the problem of plastic in the long run.

Business North East spoke to Bankitlang Nongbri (26) and Seilydor Sohkhia (25), the founders of Eco Ri start-up, to know how the duo is enhancing the utility quotient of plastic waste by transforming it into daily objects. Excerpts:

BNE: How did the idea of Eco Ri bloom?
SS: We were always interested in waste management and how this mammoth task can be done. Here, I want to mention that contrary to the prevalent notion that plastic is bad, it is actually we who do not know how to use it. We often dispose of old plastic articles instead of recycling them. This fuelled our idea of plastic and we started experimenting during the lockdown. We started our research and came up with the idea of making household articles, such as flower pots and stools, with plastic waste. This is how the idea took shape

plastic

BNE: How has Prime Hub helped in your venture?
BN: In February 2021, the state government’s Prime Hub came up to encourage local entrepreneurs and innovative ideas. We pitched our idea and presented a prototype of our product. Our idea was chosen and we received Rs 50,000 in cash. That money helped us set up the infrastructure at a smaller scale. We bought an oven that is being used to melt the plastic. We also got a customised hydrolic press for processing the plastic. Later, we received a grant of Rs 5 lakh that helped us buy the machine. Initially, we would take longer to make one article as melting the plastic is the difficult part. But now, we save a lot of time with the machines.

BNE: With what corpus did you start the venture? What is your revenue now?
BN: We started with the cash prize that we received from the state government. We are yet to have a regular revenue stream. However, there is a profit margin of 30% on each article we sell. But we are hoping that as we improvise more on the product and production, we will be able to earn proper revenue. We are still experimenting to find out the right technology for a more efficient process.

BNE: How can the growing problem of plastic waste in Shillong be solved?
SS: There has to be proper awareness on plastic waste and how to use plastic efficiently. One plastic pot can be recycled five times but many of us do not know about it. Also, at present, we are collecting plastic waste by ourselves. If schools and colleges can be encouraged to collect plastic waste, then we can utilise that for recycling.

BNE: What are the problems in this venture?
BN: Space is a major problem. Not many localities are allowing us to set up the workshop. This is because of the fumes which come out during the melting process. So, we are also working on finding a way to release the fume in an efficient way. At present, we are sharing this space with other young entrepreneurs who are part of the Prime Hub initiative. We are planning to use solar power and bio-filters in the future. Also, we need collaboration to take this project to a larger scale. At times, sustaining becomes difficult.

BNE: How is the market of recycled plastic goods?
SS: The market looks pretty good and there is a demand for these recycled goods. At present, we are using social media to promote the products. Our products are also displayed at North East Store, which is a Prime Hub store, at Polo.

BNE: Are you also working with the government to find a long-term solution to the plastic problem?
BN: We have submitted a proposal to the Shillong Municipal Board, and if approved, this collaboration will go a long way in mitigating the problem. The government is helping in marketing the product. MLCU (Martin Luther Christian University) has also approached us. Besides, we have a five-year plan under which we want to replicate the recycling venture in other districts, apart from East Khasi Hills.

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BNE News Desk