Hyderabad-based start-up Goodeebag, which mainly collects wastes, including one-time use plastics and offers grocery products in return, is planning to expand to three more states this year, its founder and CEO Abhishek Agarwal has said.
“We are planning to expand this year. Might be three states more. We have identified 5-6 cities such as Guwahati, Chandigarh and Jaipur,” he told businessline in an online interaction.
The company, launched in 2022, aims to touch the lives of at least two lakh families in 2024 as part of its goal to collect 2,000 tonnes of plastic. Since it was launched, the startup has collected 500 tonnes of waste.
Abhishek Agarwal, founder and CEO, Goodeebag
Supermarket tie-ups
Goodeebag has tied up with some supermarket stores in Hyderabad for this purpose. The start-up collects all types of waste — wet, dry, plastics, milk sachets, shampoo bottles, electronic wastes and brown boxes.
Initiated through a Whatsapp group, Goodeebag has now introduced an app to collect wastes in Hyderabad. “Anyone who wants to give the waste in their house will have to enter the details in the app. Our staff will schedule the pick up and then go there to collect it. On the spot, they reward the customer with four points,” he said.
Based on the points, the person giving waste can buy groceries in the app’s marketplace. “We have all groceries, whatever is used in your house, like in the kitchen or in the bathroom. The customer can redeem reward points on the app. The product is delivered at the customer’s doorstep free of cost,” said Agarwal.
The collected wastes are brought to its warehouse, where they are segregated into 40 different items. These are then given to recyclers, including companies that use these wastes. In some cases, the wastes are sent directly to the manufacturing unit, he said.
MoU with school
The wastes are collected by the company’s 7-8 fleet of three-wheelers, which are all electric vehicles. The company, which totally has about 25 employees, recently entered into a unique memorandum of understanding with Meridian School in Hyderabad’s Banjara Hills where the students will have to wear at least one uniform brought from selling wastes.
The company has now begun to give awards to individual houses as part of its efforts to motivate people to reduce wastes and make good use of them.
Bootstrapped for now, Goodeebag has not approached any venture capital firm for funding. “We are just preparing the base for the company and a foolproof concept. This will take 3-4 months. Only after that, we can think about funding,” Agarwal said.
