It’s no secret that India has a serious trash problem. The problem is not just littering on the streets but also how that trash is handled after it leaves households. According to data released by the urbanaffairs ministry on their website, over three-fourth of municipal trash produced and collected in India is dumped in the open. One of the simplest steps that you can take on your end is to separate dry and wet waste right at home. But again — will it be segregated at the dumping ground? The alternative solution to this situation is to not create trash at all, a growing trend among the environmentally conscious. That means everything that you use in your dayto-day life should either be recyclable or biodegradable. We create tons of plastic when we order-in food, go grocery shopping in a supermarket, eat instant food, buy beauty products, or shop from fashion giants. By using a plastic toothbrush, one contributes to the 4.7 billion of them that land in the landfill every year, which then take over 200-700 years to decompose. Every toothbrush you and I have ever used is sitting on our planet somewhere. It is difficult not to create trash but there are communities supporting the zero waste lifestyle. In fact, a few stores are giving the idea an extra push by providing environmental-friendly solutions for everyday products.

Ecoposro, Goa

The green patch in the sunshine state has been depleting over the last couple of years and getting replaced with dumping grounds, which go unattended for days. One of the first few to notice and work towards these unattended dumping grounds were Eldridge Lobo (owner of Eldou’s restaurant) and Jonah Fernandes. They started conducting clean-up drives with the support of their community, only to realise that the situation could be addressed if everyone followed a zero-waste lifestyle. So, the duo set up Goa’s first zero-waste store — Ecoposro. Eldridge Lobo thinks of Ecoposro along the lines of a general store. They try to keep every item that your local corner shop would have such as grains, oils, pulses, spices, syrups and more. They also store cleaning products such as detergents, floor cleaners, soaps, bamboo clothes pegs among other things. All the products sold at Ecoposro are produced and packaged without plastic. Fernandes says, “We like to think of zero waste shopping as stepping back in time. We often tell people ‘what we are doing isn’t something new; all we’ve done is gone back 50 years’. Before the onset of ‘single-use plastic’, all shopping was done in a waste-free manner.One took their own bags and containers to the shop and the shopkeeper filled it up. This was the norm.”

Address: House no. 220 B, Auchit Vaddo Verla Parra, Parra, Goa Contact: 98235 50123

Bare Necessities, Bengaluru

“I wanted to create a company that mirrored the values of zero waste, ethical consumption and sustainability in response to our waste management problem. The need of the hour is to make it easy and accessible for other people to consumemoremindfully andto encourage others to produce less waste. And thus, Bare Necessities was born,” says Sahar Mansoor,the founder of the brand. Sahar has been living a zerowaste lifestyle for two-and-a-half years now and has produced only half-a kilogram of trash, all of which fits in a 500 ml jar. At Bare Necessities, they take a cradle-to-cradle approach -- a design form that is sustainable and considerate of future generaton. From the design to manufacturing to distribution of their products are powered by natural, Indian ingredients which have no harmful impacts on health or environment. Even raw materials used are ethically sourced while all the packaging is recyclable or biodegradable, which means nothing ends up in a landfill. All products are handcrafted by women in Karnataka. Bare Necessities is a one-stop shop solution provider for zero-waste products and services. Products include a range of zerowaste personal, home-care and lifestyle products (such as partly-compostable bamboo toothbrushes and stainless-steel straws).

Address:DiamondDistrict, NASSCOM, Lower Ground Floor, DD3, ISRO Colony, Domlur, Bengaluru Contact: info@barenecessities.in

Conscious Food, Mumbai

You might have seen the organic products from this brand in your local supermarket. Recently they opened their first brick and mortar store in Mumbai. They decided to take this step to press awareness aboutthe range anddiversity of products, for people to come and learn and experience the difference in their products, and understand the care and thought behind their responsible, ethical sourcing and processing methods. People can reduce their waste by bringing their own containers to buy custom quantities of produce fromthis store. They offer a curated range of natural and organic products including cereals, flours and grains, natural sugars, power-packed snacks, seeds, nuts and coldpressed oils to complement the wellness lifestyle. Being food forward, they are constantly on the lookout for new ingredients to make a culinary journey more varied and enjoyable. All of their produce is ethically sourced and grown. The brand came into being in 1990 and is currently being managed by Aditi Malik.

Address: Conscious Food, 301, Third Floor, Vasan Udyog Bhavan Off, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai Contact: 022-4004 1719

Bare Necessities, Bengaluru

“I wanted to create a company that mirrored the values of zero waste, ethical consumption and sustainability in response to our waste management problem. The need of the hour is to make it easy and accessible for other people to consumemoremindfully andto encourage others to produce less waste. And thus, Bare Necessities was born,” says Sahar Mansoor,the founder of the brand. Sahar has been living a zerowaste lifestyle for two-and-a-half years now and has produced only half-a kilogram of trash, all of which fits in a 500 ml jar. At Bare Necessities, they take a cradle-to-cradle approach -- a design form that is sustainable and considerate of future generaton. From the design to manufacturing to distribution of their products are powered by natural, Indian ingredients which have no harmful impacts on health or environment. Even raw materials used are ethically sourced while all the packaging is recyclable or biodegradable, which means nothing ends up in a landfill. All products are handcrafted by women in Karnataka. Bare Necessities is a one-stop shop solution provider for zero-waste products and services. Products include a range of zerowaste personal, home-care and lifestyle products (such as partly-compostable bamboo toothbrushes and stainless-steel straws).

Address:DiamondDistrict, NASSCOM, Lower Ground Floor, DD3, ISRO Colony, Domlur, Bengaluru Contact: info@barenecessities.in

Conscious Food, Mumbai

You might have seen the organic products from this brand in your local supermarket. Recently they opened their first brick and mortar store in Mumbai. They decided to take this step to press awareness aboutthe range anddiversity of products, for people to come and learn and experience the difference in their products, and understand the care and thought behind their responsible, ethical sourcing and processing methods. People can reduce their waste by bringing their own containers to buy custom quantities of produce fromthis store. They offer a curated range of natural and organic products including cereals, flours and grains, natural sugars, power-packed snacks, seeds, nuts and coldpressed oils to complement the wellness lifestyle. Being food forward, they are constantly on the lookout for new ingredients to make a culinary journey more varied and enjoyable. All of their produce is ethically sourced and grown. The brand came into being in 1990 and is currently being managed by Aditi Malik.

Address: Conscious Food, 301, Third Floor, Vasan Udyog Bhavan Off, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai Contact: 022-4004 1719

Kasturi Gadge is a Mumbai-based journalist