At Purnaa, we keep a careful eye on our environmental footprint and wherever possible, we try to reduce our impact.
It's common thought, that when you think of Nepal, you instantly picture the Himalayas and the crisp, clean air and scenic beauty. For most parts of Nepal, this remains true however inside the Kathmandu Valley, this isn't exactly the case. Kathmandu is currently ranked at the 7th most polluted city in the world due to various factors.
As part of our response to the environmental issues that are present in Kathmandu, we've partnered with Doko Recyclers - the waste management service experts. Doko Recyclers are leading the charge for better and easier recycling methods in Nepal, creating a way for businesses and individual households to recycle paper, glass, paper, metal and e-waste. On top of that, they pay you for your trash! You get paid for recycling!
Through Doko Recyclers, we initiated an in-house recycling drive at Purnaa, encouraging our staff members to engage in recycling their waste. At the end of every month, we are given detailed statistics on how much we've recycled - resulting in knowing how much we will get paid. We have arranged for a raffle to take place within Purnaa and to get a ticket - you need to bring your trash to work. The more trash you bring, the more tickets you obtain. The more tickets you obtain, the higher chance you have of winning. But what exactly are they winning, you ask? Well, they're winning the cash earned by Purnaa in that month - a substantial figure!
Although we're constantly improving our manufacturing practices to be more environmentally friendly, this is an interesting way to try and create a lifestyle of recycling among the staff members at Purnaa. We have yet to begin the first raffle, although we'll be sure to keep you informed on how this goes in the future.
In addition to this drive, we're continuing to sell our waste to local mattress manufacturers, who turn the fabric waste into mattress filling.
To learn more about Doko Recyclers, please visit their website www.dokorecyclers.com or alternatively, read an older Purnaa blog - 'Recycling in Kathmandu with Social Enterprise Doko.'