Green Worms

The Challenge

Coastal villages in India are a major source of plastic pollution for local rivers and the ocean. Waste management in these communities is complicated by lack of education around recycling, insufficient infrastructure, and an informal supply chain that fails to capture low-value and high-value plastics alike. In the state of Kerala, women-powered self-help groups go door-to-door to collect waste but struggle to gather sufficient high-value plastics to sustain their model.

The Innovation

Green Worms diverts plastics and other dry waste from the environment by partnering with local governments, women waste workers, and global brands. The result is a formal supply chain that empowers women waste-preneurs to collect, segregate, and trace waste, governments to manage it, and global brands to buy plastic credits and complete the Circular Economy. The company has now partnered with more than 100 villages, three towns, two cities and islands in coastal India, and nearly 3,000 women waste-preneurs.