Life is different for all of us. While one event can mean a blessing for one, it can be a curse for another, especially when it comes to unequal access to resources and solutions. Shakti Yadav, a 27-year-old resident from Mumbai grew up hating the rains as during the season sewage water would flow into the streets and people had to wade through the waste because plastic choked the drain.
“This led to outbreaks of diseases like dengue and malaria. My goal is to eradicate both plastic waste and hunger — two persistent problems in our city’s slums," he added.
An MBA graduate and the first in his family to pursue higher education, Yadav could have easily moved out and never looked back. After all, that is everyone who escapes poverty does, forget it ever happened and finally live a life with joy. However, growing up in a slum, his experiences taught him that hardship was the way to success.
‘Buy Food with Plastic’ initiative
Thus, with a personal mission to clean his community, Yadav founded the ‘Buy Food with Plastic’ initiative. Based in the heart of the city’s slums, the initiative provides residents with hot, nutritious meals in exchange for plastic bottles.
Inspired by a similar programme in the United States, Yadav reached out to its founder. Despite having different backgrounds, they bonded over a shared curiosity and desire to solve environmental challenges.
He initially balanced the initiative with a corporate job in 2020. Eventually, he quit the job to devote himself to the project full-time.
His model is extremely simple and immensely effective. Residents of Bhandup are required to provide 20 bottles in exchange for a hot meal. The collected plastic is then sent to a recycling facility, which also employs people from the same communities who bring in the waste. The plastic is then repurposed into products such as flowerpots and coasters that are sold to corporations, even internationally.
His journey wasn’t easy. Yadav’s mother was initially sceptical, believing that non-profit work is only for the wealthy. However, the success of his single initiative, which solved two issues, reducing plastic waste and providing nutrition to those in need, convinced her eventually.
For families in slums, access to hygiene, cleanliness and nutritious food remains difficult even today. Through his initiative, Yadav is tackling hunger and cleanliness while also providing livelihood to people participating in the initiative.
The plastic is then repurposed into products such as flowerpots and coasters that are sold to corporations
He aims to spread awareness about such issues among the younger generation as well, visiting schools and residential societies to speak about sustainability. “Previously, nobody told me that throwing plastic away was harmful," he said.
Today, the team of ‘By Food with Plastic’ conducts awareness drives and teaches children about sustainability and the environmental impact of waste. So far, the initiative has delivered more than 42,000 meals, supported 4,500 people and educated over 1,000 students.
Moreover, Yadav’s work has earned him more than just blessings and success, he has gained international recognition. He represented India in Germany for research on sustainability and climate change and was awarded the 2023 Cross-Cultural Program Fellowship.
While the project currently remains limited to slums, Yadav aims to expand it to every corner of Mumbai. Other than India, the initiative is also active in Nicaragua and Ghana.
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