KhaliBottle is taking good care of the environment by managing waste in a unique way
In continuation of our discussion on environment-friendly startups who are creating a difference with their work,
we found KhaliBottle.
KhaliBottle is a waste management Company from Bangalore started by a youngster, Naveen Mariyan. He and his team are doing a wonderful job of managing waste in the right way and empowering everyone to keep the city clean.
Let us hear from him about what Khalibottle does and how it affects the environment in a good way.
BV: How and When was KhaliBottle conceptualized?
KB: Khalibottle started in 2016 Dec with 5 friends and 5 locations in Bangalore. It was just an idea in 2014 with a project Code being ReUSE. But that wasn't the right time for an online platform like Khalibottle in the dry waste management space. After almost 2 years of research and some learning from my first venture, Khalibottle.in started its operation in December 2016. The idea was to organize the unorganized market of dry waste management system in India and completely reduce plastic waste going to landfills and protect the environment with some social cause.
BV: How is KhaliBottle different from what other waste Management firms are doing?
KB: The brand name is the biggest USP which makes people turn to our website and try our services. Waste management segment is still unorganized in India, so we found a way to tap the market. We, at Khalibottle, do 4 things on a daily basis:
- Creating awareness among general public and the corporate community
- Door-to-door Pickup for individuals and B2B Partners
- Donating for a cause like helping single parent kid/girl child get educated
- Following one rule that non-recyclable products will not be picked from the doorstep at any cost and requesting people not to use non-recyclable products.
BV: Tell us more about the process that is followed.
Khalibottle is an online recycling platform for individuals and corporates. We have two kinds of business models:
B2C Model - This is our primary area of operation. Anyone can schedule a pickup from their mobile, desktop and Userbalance(
through a call). The online scheduling process is easy and convenient. You need to register at
www.khalibottle.in and schedule a pickup by filling up the Quote (approximate quantity), the Address and by selecting the Date and Time. You can choose between 3 payment modes -
Cash, Coupons from
Freshmenu, Flipkart, Big Bazaar etc. or
Donate for a Cause.
B2B Model - Here we work with Hotel and Restaurants, Apartments, Co-working space, Auditing firms, Four wheelers showrooms, Supermarkets etc.
Right now we are operating in 27 locations in Bangalore with 3 Warehouse. with 14 employees.
Once the trash reaches our warehouse we segregate the products according to their category and pack according to the specifications. Then, they are sent to the authorized recycling plants across south India by railways and roadways. We eliminate the middlemen in the business and pass on the extra benefits to our customer and donate them to NGO.
BV: Can you give us some facts and figure that how KhaliBottle has impacted the environment?
KB: I would compare the journey Khalibottle with traveling in the desert searching for water but finally getting cold water. Till date, our team has collected and recycled 167+tons of trash in Bangalore alone. We have 7836+ registered customer bases out of which 74% is return customers and a monthly growth rate of 22% on registrations.
Khalibottle platform is a win-win situation for all be it customers, partners or recycling plant. The customers make money by selling trash or donating for a cause. Partners generate additional revenue and increase brand image.
BV: Have you collaborated with other partners to streamline your processes?
KB: Yes, we have. For Coupons, we have partnered with Freshmenu, Big Bazaar, Perfect Laundry solutions, JustDial, and others. At the same time, we are providing API for online stores. Currently, we are working with 3 major e-commerce brand in India which will increase the awareness among the public and also help business work under the CSR program. The collaboration with Khalibottle is always a welcome gift, not only for the brand but also helps them to reduce the trash ending up in landfills.
BV: What are some of the major challenges that you face and how did you overcome them?
KB: Challenges have molded us into what we are today. Any business dealing with a social cause tends to have higher risks and challenges. Particularly, this is an unorganized market and getting Khalibottle into corporate companies and apartments was a huge challenge for us. However a few months later we broke the barriers, all of this was possible through word of mouth and use technology. We changed our business style, introduced a dress code for our staff and created a formal environment to work in. We brought in digital weighing machines certified by the Government and maintained a standard price even on price fluctuating products.
There is still a long way to go. The general public needs to be made more aware and every individual needs to take a serious note to protect the environment. Starting from schools, colleges, malls, offices, and others should stop using non-recyclable products. Also, more and more upcycling products need to be innovated to stop usage of plastics.
BV: How are you engaging more people like yourself to promote KhaliBottle or motivate them to join your endeavor?
We are working closely with schools and coming up with training to create and creating awareness among students to recycle. The CSR-programs with corporates has come up with a positive time. People are aware that it is time to protect the environment but this is not enough. They need to work towards it. And, we want to empower and help them to do just that.
Khalibottle is launching a new product called Khalibottle Barter. In this, the customers can choose from 15+ upcycled products which are crafted by Khalibottle.
Check out the wonderful work they are doing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bCRgkJnDAk
We appreciate and applaud their endeavor which is managing waste effectively and ensuring that we do our bit in saving the environment for a cleaner and healthier state of living.
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