Saahas
Founded in 2001, Saahas is an India-based NGO, committed to sustainable waste management solutions that promote a circular economy. Operating across urban and rural regions, Saahas leverages over two decades of experience to create lasting systems for waste minimization, resource recovery, and environmental protection.
At Saahas, we believe that if we can delay and minimize waste generation, close the recycling loop, improve the authenticity and traceability of data, generate value from renewable stock, and abstract and propagate the knowledge, then we will be able to maximize the circular flow of materials while generating jobs and improving livelihoods. Saahas works with all key stakeholders which include government institutions, waste workers, communities, service providers and educational institutions.
The impact of the work at Saahas is done by calculating the tonnes per day of waste influenced and the subsequent decrease in CO2 equivalent greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, Saahas also sets up decentralized units thereby promoting green jobs and sustainable waste management practices.
The largest river island in the world, Majuli, in Assam, faces an escalating waste crisis fuelled by rising tourism and urbanization, compounded by inadequate waste management infrastructure. Limited disposal options threaten the island's fragile ecosystem, endangering both the environment and public health. The Harish and Bina Shah Foundation grant is for the project “Swachh Majuli Mur Majuli (Clean Majuli My Majuli)”, which focuses on establishing a sustainable waste management system, involving communities and administrative bodies, along with promoting behavioral change on waste reduction methods.