Landfills in India like Mumbai’s massive Deonar are among Asia’s largest, most hazardous dumping grounds. They’re also home to a vast informal economy where waste pickers pore over trash, searching for goods that can be reused, resold, and recycled.
ReCircle, founded in 2016, aims to help these safai saathis by integrating them into formal supply chains and compensating them with fair wages and health benefits. ReCircle now oversees more than 3,500 workers, and serves global brands like Coca-Cola and Mondelez that aim to rely on more recycled materials and to recycle more of their own packaging. The company says it has diverted almost 270,000 metric tons of waste away from landfills since its inception. ReCircle’s ClimaOne platform also helps businesses track waste from collection to processing, enabling them to further reduce their trash footprint.