Waste is not a problem, Waste is wealth.

Bangladesh is the 8th largest populous country in the world. At present, around 41 thousand tons of household waste is generated in Bangladesh every day. Municipalities and city corporations still have to rely on traditional methods (dumping and burning) for waste management. As a result of dumping, about 2100 metric tons of methane gas is released every day. The toxic liquid from the dumping station mixes with the water and destroys the aquatic ecosystem. It has become difficult for people to live around the dumping station.  Every year thousands of people are suffering from various diseases.  Children and pregnant women are more affected.  The burning of waste releases large amounts of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide gases and other toxic gases into the environment.  That is equal to the air pollution of about 5.6 crore cars. As a result, the past years have experienced excessive heat, and extreme cold in winter.  Every 1-degree rise in temperature increases the amount of heavy rain by 7%. The region experiences flooding every year due to heavy rainfall, which also reduces crop productivity.  Heavy monsoon rains also cause toxic liquids from dumping stations to mix with water and pollute it, destroying aquatic ecosystems.  Construction of a large number of dumping stations has also led to scarcity of fertile land. Recently, some China-based companies have announced plans to work with city corporations to generate electricity from waste, which will release large amounts of carbon dioxide and toxic gases into the atmosphere. In addition, the ash produced by burning waste materials will contribute to environmental pollution. This problem exists not only in Bangladesh but in the entire Indian subcontinent and the picture of waste management in other developing countries is similar.

We (ABC Waste Management Company Limited) started our journey in September 2019 with the goal of a Zero Waste Community. Our main aim and objective was to prevent toxic methane and carbon dioxide gas emissions through household waste management and convert household waste into resources.  We are producing biochar, activated carbon, biofuel, fuel, and petroleum gas from household waste through the use of eco-friendly thermochemical technology. These products leave no residue after production, i.e. waste is completely converted into resources.  Through carbon capturing we have been able to curb 70% of our plant's carbon dioxide emissions.  From March 2021 to December 2023, we have been able to manage a total of 510 metric tons of household waste.  Dumping this amount of waste would have released about 28 metric tons of methane gas and 992 metric tons of carbon dioxide gas when burned. Our produced biochar was used by 2,215 farmers last year and as a result, reduced their use of chemical fertilizers by 33.5%.  The cost of production of crops has decreased.  Currently, our waste management plant has a capacity of only 1 ton per day.  About 8,465 people are directly and indirectly associated with our plant, from whom, we collect waste,who are our plant employees and our consumers. We have developed this technology ourselves.  It would be feasible to stop the daily release of roughly 2,100 metric tons of methane gas and provide jobs for thousands of people if this technology could be applied to the management of the 41 thousand metric tons of domestic waste that are produced. Our motto, "Waste is not a problem, waste is wealth," aims to raise public understanding of domestic waste management.

Our activities and our innovative technologies have been able to change people's conventional perception of waste management.All categories of people and even animals are benefiting from our project. Waste management mostly depends on government subsidy. But we have been able to make it a full business success. Although limited profitable business, private sector will be encouraged.  About 41 thousand metric tons of household waste is generated in Bangladesh every day.  Due to lack of proper management, about 2,100 tons of toxic methane gas and toxic liquid are being released from the dumping station every day. If it is burnt, 45358 tons of carbon dioxide gas will be released every day.  Which is destroying biodiversity along with increasing atmospheric temperature.  People living around the dumping station are constantly suffering from various diseases, cattle are also dying.  When a dumping station fills up, new land is taken up, thereby reducing the amount of agricultural land.  If we can manage all the waste generated in Bangladesh with our operations and technology, then the emission of toxic methane gas, toxic liquid will be prevented.  As a result, environmental pollution will be prevented, ecosystems will be saved from destruction and it will be possible to create permanent employment for 90 thousand people.  We have 4 permanent employees in our 1 ton daily capacity plant. We clean the homes and houses of all the households we collect waste from and at the same time provide employment to a large number of people by marketing our products.  By 2021-2023, we have managed to prevent 15 tonnes of methane and 850 tonnes of carbon dioxide gas emissions by managing 510 tonnes of household waste.  We have produced biochar, biofuel, activated carbon, fuel and petroleum gas from waste in a completely environmentally friendly way.  We use our produced fuel and petroleum gas to generate heat and power in our plants. In the financial year 2023-2024, the demand of 68 lakh 42 thousand 500 tons of fertilizers has been determined in Bangladesh. We have been able to prevent carbon dioxide emissions from our plants through carbon capture.

Our team is the right choice for waste management solutions because we have hands-on experience, understand the local community's needs, are committed to sustainability, and possess innovative problem-solving skills.We have everything needed to execute and manage a successful project. We have two chemical engineers and two business professionals in our team. Three university teachers are our technical advisors and one robotics engineer is there for project automation.  We are always working on improving our technology, so we have an additional group. We also have some volunteers to create awareness among people.So we have been able to successfully run our operations since 2019 and expect our operations to grow further in the future.

We managed a total of 510 tonnes of household waste from January 2021 to December 2023.  We produced a total of 157.5 tonnes of biochar, 33.5 tonnes of fuel, 10.5 tonnes of activated carbon, 21 tonnes of petroleum gas and experimentally 370 liters of biofuel from household waste.  By managing 510 tons of domestic waste, we have prevented 28 tons of methane and 992 tons of carbon dioxide gas emissions. Our current plant capacity is 1 ton of domestic waste per day and we have 4 permanent employees.  A total of 8465 people are closely associated with our plant, they are the beneficiaries of our fertilizer use, our product sales staff, from whom we collect waste.

We want our project and our dream to spread to the world through a platform as big and world-renowned as MIT Solve.  We want to work on a wider scale, apart from our country in Africa and South Asian countries.  Where some Chinese companies are promoting waste-to-power generation, we want to use our technology. Recently, Sri Lanka and Nepal have shown interest in our project.  We need adequate investment and international promotion.  That's why we think MIT Solve is a perfect platform for us to meet world-class researchers and investors.

Household waste generated by municipalities and city corporations is dumped in dumping stations. The waste decomposes in the dumping stations and emits toxic methane gas. The toxic liquid is mixed with water, amounting to 60,000 tons per day in Bangladesh.  As a result, aquatic ecosystems are being destroyed, aquatic animals are dying.  At present, waste-to-power projects are being promoted very strongly.  Incineration of waste to generate electricity from waste produces large amounts of ash and other gases, including carbon dioxide.  Here we bring you complete eco-friendly thermochemical technology made possible by our 3 years of research.  We have been able to turn waste into a complete resource.  From waste we are producing biochar, activated carbon, fuel, petroleum gas and experimentally biofuel. There is no residue left after processing the waste. We are able to convert waste into 100% resource, and without causing any harm to the environment.  This is where we are ahead of everyone else.

At present, natural disasters such as extreme heat, extreme cold, droughts and floods are caused due to global warming. Methane and carbon dioxide gases are most responsible for this global warming.  Due to the lack of proper management of household waste, about 2100 tons of methane gas is being released from Bangladesh alone every day.  And when this household waste is burned, several times more carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide gas are released into the air. The way we are managing household waste will encourage the government as well as the private sector. Because it is a business success technology.  At the same time, there is a huge demand for the products produced in the market.  The biochar produced by us reduces the use of chemical fertilizers by up to 40% and increases the water holding capacity of the soil by up to 9%.  Biochar can also prevent greenhouse gas emissions.  So I think it will have a huge impact in preventing climate change.

Our main goal is to reduce methane gas, carbon dioxide gas emissions responsible for the greenhouse effect, prevent environmental pollution and create job resources.  Converting generated household waste into resources. 41 thousand metric tons of household waste is generated in Bangladesh every day, and about 2.26 billion tons of household waste is generated annually in the world.  So if this waste is not recycled in an environmentally friendly way, it will become a curse for us. Because the toxic methane is released from the decomposed waste and carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide gases are released when burned. And from plastic, soil pollution, water pollution to aquatic life.  Death has become a trap.  We believe that our solution has a direct impact on people's lives in addition to reducing emissions of greenhouse gases responsible for global warming. Our project can create 150,000 jobs in Bangladesh.  The amount of chemical fertilizers that farmers use on their agricultural land, the use of biochar produced by us will reduce the use of chemical fertilizers by up to 40%.  The water capacity of the soil will increase.  As a result, the production cost of the farmer's crop will decrease.  Those low income people who are living around the dumping station and suffering from various diseases will also get a better environment. Aquatic ecosystem will be saved from destruction.  We believe that our invented solution will have a positive impact not only on human life but also on animals.

After collection of household waste, plastic, biodegradable waste and glass, metal are separated by automatic separator machine.  The waste metal is then chemically neutralized.  Biochar from biodegradable waste and fuel, petroleum gas and activated carbon from plastic waste are produced after chemical processing.  The complete press system is called thermochemical technology.  Which is the most sustainable and eco-friendly in the current world in household waste management.  There is no residual waste after the process is completed.  Glass and metal are sold to recycling companies.

We have a total of four people on the board of directors in our team.  We have a total of 6 advisors and 5 consultants.  At the same time we have a total of 6 employees, 4 in the plant and 2 in the marketing sector.

From 2019 

Waste is not a problem, waste is an asset, we are working together with all our team members.  We value each other's needs and suggestions. We are all committed to creating a zero waste community.  We all try to do everything right at the right time.  We provide safety equipment to our employees and arrange medical checkup every 6 months for them.  We believe that our employees are the vehicle that drives us forward.  You will always find friendly behavior between us.

The municipality transports the waste to our plant through its own transport system. Then we produce the product in our plant.  We wholesale our products to our own dealers.  There is an opportunity to get investment in our project from both public and private sectors.  In case of public sector investment, we pay 50% of the profit to the municipality and 10% in case of private sector.  We have separate agreements with private investors where the investor gets up to 50% of the profits.

Our main aim is to reduce production cost.  We will first increase our capacity and fully automate manual systems to reduce production costs  We are currently researching this.In 2021, we managed 60 tons of household waste and generated $15,465 in revenue.  In 2022, we managed a total of 150 tons of household waste and generated a revenue of $31,310.  In 2023, we managed a total of 300 tons of household waste and generated $66,633 in revenue.  If we could manage the 14.96 million tons of waste generated in Bangladesh, it would be possible to generate about $3.34 billion in revenue. We received a $10,000 grant from the Idea Project of the Bangladesh government in 2021 and an investment of $45,000 from a private industry group in 2022.  We have increased our plant capacity with these investments, grants and profit money.  We want to increase our current capacity from 300 tonnes to 3000 tonnes per annum.That's why we are looking for investors.