Kolkata boy Nandan Mall has started a unique initiative named Hulladek specifically designed to collect electronic waste from the doorstep which in turn will be recycled for a greener tomorrow. Hulladek’s tagline reads Hungry for Waste which hints towards the language Hulladek is derived from. Inspired by the Hungarian word for “waste”, Hulladek is working across twenty states in India with the hope of making people aware that electronics can be used in a lot many ways once their shelf lives are over. We speak to the St Xavier’s College, Kolkata alumni to know more about his initiative.
What is E-waste?
Anything electronic that comes to the end of its life is considered as E-Waste. It consists of every electronic device in your home starting from the electric bulb, to the mixer grinder to the refrigerator to name a very few. It is globally recognised as WEEE, which is Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment. E-Waste covers both the internal circuits as well as the outer bodies as the waste can be segregated under various classifications such as plastic, metals and precious metals.
What made you come up with this initiative?
This was a part of my college project back in St Xavier’s Kolkata, where I presented this as a business plan which eventually went to intra and inter college competitions. I connected with a recycling unit in Bangalore realising this project is something I would like to take forward. I have also worked with a recycling company in Spain where I learnt the basics of e-waste management for two years and after two years took up the initiative to establish my own E-Waste management company Hulladek.
E-Waste collection has always been there as vendors have been buying old devices to sell them for its metallic parts. Are people aware that these products can be recycled as well?
We have managed to impact consumer behaviour in a lot of ways. People have definitely become more aware over the past five-six years about E-Waste and how these are not meant to be just discarded. Hulladek regularly conducts awareness programmes in and around the city to educate people more about the waste management procedure.
Take us through your process from E-Waste collection to recycling.
We have trained collectors who go to doorsteps and collect the electronic waste post which is brought to our central warehouse located in a remote area of the city. This process is followed by segregation of waste which is then shipped to the recycler. The recycler then disintegrates the waste according to plastic, glass metals and hazardous elements. The hazardous elements are sent for treatment from there to ensure zero harmful emissions from them. The rest of the products obtained are sent to the market which in turn can be used to produce individual items.
What does the coming year look like for Hulladek?
We wish to expand to having our own recycling unit soon, which is equipped with at least L2 facilities that are capable of obtaining precious metals from the waste. We also wish to expand our logistics and involve the student community by starting a campus ambassador programme in order to facilitate e-waste collection and awareness in educational institutions.
Nandan Mall pictures by Anindya Saha