Women create jobs in India

The Indian company Gemcorp is working to create efficient, equitable, and formalized plastic value chains across India, with various solutions from state to state.

In Kerala, the authorities have delegated the collection of plastic waste from households to a women's cooperative, which has proven to be more effective than if the municipalities did it themselves. Households pay a fixed fee to the women’s cooperative, which constitutes an important part of their income base. The result is a system that employs women who were previously outside the workforce, while plastic waste is being recycled effectively.

See how the system works here:

Formalized Value Chains

The plastic collected by the women's cooperative is sent into the recycling system of GemCorp, which guarantees that the collected plastic is material recycled.

– The women receive better physical facilities and their wages are paid into bank accounts, not in cash. This way, they become part of a formal circular economy that can be replicated in any part of India, explains the Director of Sustainability and Strategy at Gemcorp, Vikas Chhajer, adding that they require all transactions they are involved in to be cashless.

Several Stages

– The women go from door to door, collect the plastic waste, and bring it to their nearest reception center where they perform a rough sorting. From there, it is transported by truck to a sorting facility, where it undergoes fine sorting before being sent for recycling, explains Sooraj Abraham, the founder of the nonprofit organization Plan@earth.

Plan@earth operates the sorting facility where the waste is processed after the initial rough sorting. Abraham states that the facility is one of the largest in Kerala right now; there they ensure that the plastic is sorted into different plastic fractions. Once the plastic is sorted, it is fed into a baler, which compresses the plastic into a much more manageable and space-saving size.

This means that more plastic can be loaded onto each truck taking it to the recycling facility. Overall, the efficiency increases by eight to 20 times.

– The balers (compactors) are a 'game changer', says Chhajer, noting that they can now utilize the space much better without additional costs, in addition to significantly reduced transportation expenses, of course.

Many Opportunities

GemCorp believes the potential of the project is enormous and aims to expand it throughout India, and possibly to other countries.

Through the project, they aim to reduce plastic litter while changing people's perception of waste and recycling. By offering high-quality recycled plastic to brand owners, they also give this group the opportunity to become more circular.

In addition, the project is a way to ensure that society's underprivileged gain access to economic stability, sanitation, and medical facilities. Improved economy for the women also contributes to them providing better education for their children.