Indiahikes transports two truck-loads of waste over 800 km from J&K to Uttarakhand

Earlier this month, our team took on a mission to transport a staggering 400 kg of waste from Srinagar to Dehradun. The decision to transport the waste was born out of necessity, as our team was unable to locate a proper waste management service in Srinagar.

The operation was not without its difficulties. This waste—collected over various treks that happened in the Kashmir region—had begun to rot and emit a foul odor, making it a formidable task.

“This waste was painstakingly collected by trekkers and our team members from high-altitude treks, in cold temperatures while wearing heavy backpacks. And we needed to ensure this waste was disposed of responsibly,” shares Sharwari Brahme, who is leading the Green Trails initiative at Indiahikes.

But handing it over to the local waste management units was not an option. The units in Srinagar either shredded non-recyclable waste and mixed it with soil or resorted to burning, with no transparent waste disposal process in place.

Unwilling to compromise on responsible waste disposal, our team took matters into their own hands.

After two arduous days of travel, the waste finally arrived in Dehradun last week. There, it was entrusted to Waste Warriors, an organization dedicated to sustainable waste management.

“We’ve been working with Waste Warriors for a long time now. Their processes are transparent and credible. Moreover, more than 90% of the waste that we hand over to Waste Warrior gets recycled,” Sharwari shares.

But transporting such staggering volume of waste over long distances after every season is not a feasible solution in the long run.

“More than 25 staff and two vehicles were involved in this movement. We were forced to do it this time because we couldn’t find a responsible waste disposal system in Jammu and Kashmir. We are hoping that things will improve by next year,” comments Ravi Ranjan, Operations Manager at Indiahikes.

A lot of thought goes into Green Trails every day at Indiahikes. This entire experience has given us a lot to ponder about the realities and challenges of waste management.