"Don't expect results equivalent and timely to your efforts, things will happen and good things take time to happen"
If you have travelled to Kolkata or are planing to do so, you'll realize how big of a concern litter and its management is in this city. The existence of waste disposal bins a few steps away hasn't been a reason enough for the locals to utilize them.
The need for someone to fix this very weakness of society had become critically essential before the situation turned dreadful.
Headquartered in Kolkata, Hulladek Recycling Private Limited was founded in 2015 by the environmentally aware millennial Nandan Mall. He founded this to fulfil his childhood dream of working towards E-waste management with a mission to make this world a greener and sustainable place to live.
Mr. Nandan Mall, Founder &CEO of Hulladek Recycling Private Limited, is a third-generation entrepreneur currently working on developing eastern India's first e-waste recycling unit.
He received his Bachelor of Commerce from St. Xavier's College, Kolkata, and eventually earned his spot as a Business development manager at NIIT Kolkata.
Numerous roles of leadership throughout his life have proved his ability to inspire. At 28, he is perhaps the youngest entrepreneur in this field. He won the "National Green Future Leadership Award" in the years 2017, 2018, and 2019.
In 2012, as the E-Waste Management law was introduced and the nation was progressively embracing it, Nandan recognized the opportune moment to apply the comprehensive insights he had accumulated from his experience as a sourcing agent collaborating with recyclers across the country.
The company is authorized and licensed by the Central Pollution Control Board for the safe collection, transportation, segregation, and disposal of e-waste under the E-Waste (Management) Amendment Rules, 2018.
"We function as a PRO(Producer Responsibility Organisation) to facilitate the needs of producers,importers, and manufacturers and help them comply with the rules of the land. At first, a prospective lead is generated and our associates (sourcing department) approach them. An appointment is confirmed, an agreement is signed by both the parties. After entering into a binding agreement, a date is fixed for collection of the materials from the site"added Nandan.
A container vehicle is sent for the lifting of the E-waste along with whatever manpower may be required wearing all necessary PPEs.
The E-waste is verified as per the segregation list, and if any changes are found in the count of weight, the same is reported to the necessary authorities.
Materials found in broken/damaged condition are properly packed to not lead to any contamination during transportation. They are segregated and stored as per the category of electronic waste and dusted and cleaned to avoid dirt.
Right after the collection process, the e-waste is transferred to the various dismantling/recycling partners across the country in their state-of-the-art facilities.
During this process, the maximum emphasis is laid on the safest extraction of hazardous elements in a controlled environment, which guarantees zero health or environmental hazards and maximum recovery of the metals.
The extracted hazardous elements are purged to safeguard humans and the environment from its potential threat. The purified hazardous elements are afterwards put to use in various industries as manufacturing agents as per the requirement.
This helps in reducing carbon footprints. All this is made possible by the use of the latest technology and highly skilled professionals in the cycling process.
Hulladek collects and channelizes e-waste from different organizations and individuals. It also maintains relevant documents as specified and expected by the 'Central Pollution Control Board'.
Electronics contain plastic, toxic metals, and other chemicals that are harmful to the environment. They pollute soil, air, and water if dumped in the open or handled by unauthorized sectors.
"We collect these electronics and electrical. Then channelize it to our recycling partners who are authorized to dispose of it correctly. To date, we have channelized around 1 million Kg of e-waste for recycling and are working towards achieving a greener and asustainable place to live in."Nandan asserts,
The concept of Electronic Waste in itself is something that not many people are aware of. It took a lot of effort and consistent persuasion for the company to convince people to join hands and bring this idea into reality.
Raising capital was also a challenge for the company. With the support of friends and family, Nandan managed to bring the idea into reality in 2015, by initially kicking off as a collection centre of e-waste. Eventually, it grew into a full-fledged 'Producer responsibility Organisation' today.
"Our customers are manufacturers,retailers, consumers. They are the bulk consumers of Electronic and Electrical products including government and private organizations. Our services are also availed by individuals and households on a daily basis. Any individual or organization using/dealing with electronics are our potential customers. We provide end to end service in our domain and make sure to maintain the standard of our services. This is what helps us build a successful customer base"Nandan emphasizes.
The young CEO feels that waste management has always been a cause of concern in our country. People tend to litter the roads even with dustbins around them. So, bringing recycling into everyday life is more an inspirational job than business for him.
Hulladek is currently working towards expansion through collection centers by making channel partners in the Eastern states of India.
They are rapidly expanding via channel partners in the Eastern and North-Eastern states of India. Such associations will not only help the company expand its business but will also create awareness regarding the ill effects of improper disposal of e-waste and would provide a solution for the same.
Thus, it will help them to take a step further toward their mission of making a greener and more sustainable place to live.
"We have also forayed into consultancy services concerning government certification like BIS and are planning to cover more such certifications through our consultancy wing in the future."Nandan further states,
The immensely talented Hulladek team with immense pleasure shares that it has achieved 383% of growth since the year of inception. The contribution of their clients and employees has made it possible for the company to collect more than 6 00,000 kgs of e-waste till the last year.
From being a start-up in the city of Kolkata, today, they are a major service provider in Eastern India and also extend their services on a PAN India basis.
They are currently working with more than 1000 clients and also have 100+ contract clients and branch offices via channel partners in eight other states of India.
In addition to that, recently, in June 2019, Hulladek Recycling Private Limited launched its collection centre/branch office in association with JUSCO( A TATA enterprise) in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.
"We conduct awareness seminars among schools, colleges, and residential complexes regularly. We have conducted more than 500 such sessions to date. We plan to double the figure by the end of 2020. We look forward to achieving targets and reaching milestones."Nandan wraps saying,