A zero-waste management start-up, striving toward a better and greener future, coming up with various eco-friendly products such as dhoop sticks, colours, decoratives from coconut waste etc. Green Waves is dedicated to minimising electronic waste along with promoting efficient waste management.
Incubees: Tell us about yourself and your journey as an entrepreneur?
Potluri Anil Chowdary: I am Mr Potluri Anil Chowdary, Managing Director of Green Waves Environmental Solutions, the only First Authorized E-waste collection and handling unit in Andhra Pradesh (unit in Visakhapatnam) since April 2015. Educational Qualification: Graduate Diploma in Environment Resource Management from Waiariki Institute of Technology (New Zealand). Master in Science (M.Sc.) in Environmental Science branch from GITAM Institute of Science, GITAM University (India). Engineering (Chemical Technology) from Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology, Osmania University (India).
I started Green Waves in the year 2015, dealing with e-waste management. Later we expanded our work on zero waste through the manufacture of eco products and wildlife conservation. We provide services to more than 300 private and government bodies. We had been working with municipalities like Vizag, Vijayawada and Hyderabad.
Incubees: What made you start an environmental solutions start-up? Tell us your motive behind it.
Potluri Anil Chowdary: When I studied in New Zealand, I found the country clean and green. It is not because of policies and rules they have, it’s in fracture they got to dispose of the waste. So in 2015-16, the Indian Government got Swachh Bharat. So, I feel it was the right time to start working on it. My motivation behind is all rag pickers who work unconditionally, all unsung heroes in the field of waste management.
Incubees: Tell us in detail about your start-up ‘GREEN WAVES’?
Potluri Anil Chowdary: In today’s world we need to be pro-ecological in all aspects of life and we Green waves provide you with reliable environmental solutions. A company which is dedicated to minimising electronic waste along with promoting efficient waste management, proper education through practical works and Green conservation. Green Waves works mainly on E-waste management and Zero Waste Management in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Goa. We are also Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board authorized Recyclers. Improvement of social life is possible with the phase-wise implementation of sustainable flower waste management in the city.
As a part of Zero waste management, our company has come up with a novel idea of converting floral and coconut waste into natural Eco products, flower manure and handmade soaps from flower powder. A pilot project on making Dhoop sticks and manure from flower waste has been tested successfully with Green Waves staff. This project is being planned to be implemented on a large scale under the Youth empowerment program. Paper and cloth recycling is also tested by our company. Our staff made seed bands and seed rakhi’s using paper as recycled material for Rakshabandhan and also working on seed paper making from the trash. We have youth working on waste cloth recycling, like cotton cloth into yarns. And covert waste cloths into bags, masks, key chains, etc. We believe in empowering life through zero waste management.
Green Waves Environmental Solutions completed 5 years of providing services to the public in the field of waste management. Green Waves Environmental Solutions has won the National Awards for its excellence in e-Waste Recycling at Indian Industry Session (at the 8th Regional 3R Forum in Asia and the Pacific). And yet another golden feather on its crown is the invitation it received from the National Green Tribunal Conference to deliver a talk on e-Waste Management at Guwahati. On world environmental day 2018, we had been given Seva Puraskar award by the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control board for our great contribution to sensitizing the people on E-waste management and for effective recycling of e-waste. “Green Waves Environmental Solutions” had been featured as one of the “20 Most Promising E-Waste Management Companies for 2018” in India recognized by excellence in EWaste recycling: at 8th International Conference on Sustainable Waste Management, 22 November 2018,ØSilicon India Magazine. Green Waves Environmental Solutions won IconSWM Award for its Acharya Nagajurna University, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. Green Waves Environmental Solutions won “Swachh Bharat Award for Waste Management Technology- Management of E-waste on the occasion of the National Swachhata Summit 2019 on 19th February 2019 New Delhi.
Green Waves Environmental Solutions won the Green India award for the best e-waste recycler of the year 2019 on 6th June 2019 by the Green Society of India at Pragati Maidan Delhi. Green Waves Environmental Solutions won an excellence award for its work towards E-waste and Zero waste management at the 1st Global conference and awards on waste management and circular economy on June 15-16th 2019 at Vigyan Bhavan New Delhi.
Incubees: Tell us about the eco-friendly products made by ‘GREEN WAVES’?
Potluri Anil Chowdary: As a part of zero waste management we have come up with various eco-products like Incense and dhoop sticks, colours from floral waste, seed papers, seed pencils, seed pens, Seed Flags from recycled paper, bracelets and bags from waste cloth and marine litter, art crafts and decoratives from coconut waste. As a part of Biodiversity improvement, we are working on improving leaf mulch compost from dry leaf waste and utilizing them in seed ball making, also have a native seed bank, Seed Ganesha, Seed Rakhis, and plantations as well.
Green Waves has come forward as the first of its kind integration of Waste Management, Wildlife conservation by working on eco products and reducing waste outcomes and creating awareness on the importance of conservation.
Incubees: Tell us about your team and what keeps them motivated?
Potluri Anil Chowdary: POTLURI ANIL CHOWDARY (FOUNDER)-
- Graduate Diploma in Environment Resource Management from Waiariki Institute of Technology (New Zealand). Master in Science (M.Sc.) in Environmental Science branch from GITAM Institute of Science, GITAM University (India). Engineering (Chemical Technology) from Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology, Osmania University (India).
- Worked under the Department of Conservation (Rotorua, New Zealand) on the plantation of native flora and Pest Management in the year 2014. Worked on Composting and Vermi Composting for the Linton Park Community Centre, in Rotorua under the guidance of Mr Rick Mansell (Centre Coordinator, Linton Park Community Centre, Rotorua, New Zealand) in the year 2014. Worked for the ‘Love Your Water’ program organized by Sustainable Coastline cleaning fresh and marine water bodies (Rotorua, New Zealand) in the year 2014.
- N Aditya Madhav (Zero waste project coordinator) is an EC Engineering Bachelor and has exposure to different areas like Technical support/ Multimedia training/ Environmental Data Analysis/ Ecosystem restoration projects. Worked as TSE and multimedia trainer. Then continued as an Environmental projects coordinator and presently working as an Environmental resource person at Green waves Environmental Solutions. My contributions have been well recognized by Wikipedia and several other reputed international organizations.
- Pranesh Varma(MBA) (Marketing Head)
- 1)Worked as Business Analyst(Solution Architect) in TCS Malaysia for 2nd largest mobile operator in Malaysia (Celcom).
- Analysing client business requirements and process improvement in BSS
- Potluri Sai Brahmani
- Did Bachelor of environmental Management in Gitam University and
- Bachelor of Science in Environment Sciences at Binghamton State University, New York.
- Did Master of Science in Environment Sciences in Gitam University and did Resource Management in Wiaraiki Institute of Technology and Management.
- In New Zealand. Past worked as Technical Facilitator for Climate change desk at LAYA Resource Centre.
- Presently working as Upcycling head for Green Waves Environmental Solutions.
Our team gets motivated by the challenges of solid waste. Every year we pick one waste and work on it. For instance, last year we worked on ghost nets, this year will be working on cigarette butts. We started with e-waste and later moved to paper waste, textile waste, flower waste, etc.
Incubees: Many industries are now moving toward an eco-friendly way. What makes your start-up unique/different from other start-ups?
Potluri Anil Chowdary: We are unique in providing services like waste pickup either from residential or commercial. We give equal importance to awareness and we mainly work with students like interns or volunteers. We are tied with about 16 + colleges.
And it is a unique start-up which works on waste management and wild conservation, bridging the gap.
Incubees: What are the challenges you have faced as an Entrepreneur?
Potluri Anil Chowdary: The main challenge we face is the enforcement of policies or rules in the field of waste management. And another thing is logistics, lack of awareness in public on waste mismanagement
Incubees: What would you like to address to the budding Entrepreneurs?
Potluri Anil Chowdary: The waste management field is a socio–commercial field we had to balance both while entering into it.
“WE NEED A CONSERVATION ECONOMY, NOT A CONSUMER ECONOMY”
To know more, visit: https://www.greensolutionsindia.com/
