Unrushed Conversation - Beyond Norms x The Disposal Company

Read the journey of Bhagyashree, Founder of The Disposal Company!

A few years back when I shifted to Rajasthan, I realized that there are not enough certified recyclers in the state and as I come from a business family - wherein we’re into plastic recycling for many years - I decided to set up a recycling unit! But when the pandemic hit, our recycling unit wasn’t running at its optimum capacity thus, we decide to dig more into this segment - that’s where I came across the concept of the plastic credit model which is there in the countries like USA & UK and during that time Central Pollution Control Board, also published various articles about credit models and it’s opportunities - but nothing was happening in our country around it.?Thus, that’s where we decided to become the first mover in the direction of the plastic credit modeling in India and established - The Disposal Company!?

Not all plastics end up becoming waste. There are two types of plastic - high value (bisleri or a coke bottle) & low value (chips packet or a cosmetics packaging, etc). We mostly see low-value plastic lying around in the environment because there aren’t enough use cases about how to recycle it.?

Thus, our main mission is to Collect - Segregate - Recycle low-value plastics. But, recyclers don’t want to recycle low-value plastics, because it increases their operating cost! That’s why now what we need is a third-party intervention. So, we bring the third party as various brands who bear the operational costs as per the “polluter pays principle.” They pay rag pickers to pick up the low-value plastic and pay recyclers to recycle it.

Thus, The Disposal Company bridges the gaps which are there in the supply chain of plastic collection to recycle it.?

We faced many challenges coming from various stakeholders as we were the first movers in this segment. From the ecosystem end, VCs and Angel Investors were not interested in investing because it was difficult for them to understand what we are trying to achieve. They used to ask - what segment you fit in, either tech or consumer good industry? Defining who we are and in which segment we fall was difficult to decide for us which evolved quickly, luckily!?

From the consumer end, it was difficult to make them understand that sustainability is not a luxury that can only be afforded by big companies, but by being frugal you can also achieve it. Getting those initial conversations also became a task! But slowly and steadily things changed and now, when you see the impact created in society because of our small steps - it feels magical.?

I believe, being an entrepreneur is like a bunch of emotions that you go through every day. But being an entrepreneur in the social sector right now, when you see the kind of difference you have made, when you see a real impact on the ground, enrich people’s lives, and be able to provide value to the brands is just beautiful. Of course, on some days, you go through immense pressure to do all the stuff alone but I guess, it’s fulfilling at the end of the day.?

Simultaneously, it’s not easy for entrepreneurs to talk about mental health, because right now we’re in a phase where the startup ecosystem is very glamourized, and entrepreneurs are put next to Bollywood A-listers. Everybody follows you, and looks up to you while all that is good - but mental health issues are very real. The moment you open your phone and because of the algorithms whenever you go on any platform, all the news you will be thrown at will be about funding, and this startup becomes a unicorn - that startup becomes a decacorn which creates sheer pressure to constantly perform well.?

Entrepreneurship is all about curves and curves within. It’s not all glamor, as to how it looks. We started the company in 2020 and till mid-2021, our eleven solutions didn’t work at all. There were days and nights when I used to cry as to what I was going to do.?

Thus, if you want to pursue entrepreneurship - be prepared because you are going to fail no matter wherever you reach. Simultaneously, you’ll be in a unique position as well from where you can bounce up once again!?