A software engineer couple in Chennai have been troubleshooting all 'trash' problems

A software engineer couple in Chennai have been troubleshooting all 'trash' problems. Chennai grapples with over 3,200 tonnes of solid waste everyday and much of it is recyclable. This struck two young software engineers, Sujatha and Jegan, the couple who started Kuppathotti.com in November, 2011. Kuppathotti, when translated in Tamil means a 'trash can'. This eco-friendly initiative also helps some souls to make a quick buck. The process is simple - If you're in Chennai, all you need to do is log on and register. A call from the website follows to schedule a visit to your house. Pile up your empty milk covers, bottles, books, plastics, metal and paper waste. The Kuppathotti agents will then weigh them and even pay you for your junk. For many like Hindi tutor Vasantha Ranganathan, this effort by the youngsters has come as a boon.

The couple -- Jegan and Sujatha Jegan, both aged less than 30, started city-based online portal www.kuppathotti.com (trash can) offering services at customers' doorsteps, including collecting old house-hold junk--milk covers, old newspapers, plastics, iron and aluminium-- online. Jegan, employed in a top private IT firm, is the brain behind this concept and appointed his wife as Managing Director of the portal, started on November 11 this year. "We always wanted to do something innovative and after an indepth study, decided to launch this service after an extensive study," he told PTI. He claimed no proper solution in India exists for offering such services. Jegan and Sujatha, both MCA graduates, started the portal with their savings. Jegan, hailing from Radhapuram near Tirunelveli, visits each home which has requested their service, collects the garbage, pays customers on the spot and sends the trash to godowns owned by them at various parts of the city. "The main reason I go personally is to ask their feedback... As a pilot study, we are offering this service in places like Ashok Nagar, West Mambalam, Kodambakkam, Valasaravakkam and K K Nagar areas", he said, adding, it would be extended to other parts of the city as well. He said they have over 150 registered members. "Registering online is free and members can avail the service free of cost", he said and claimed it was a boon for families where both husband and wife are employed. 

The trash collected from the houses is then dumped in a godown where it's sorted and sold for recycling. The profits have not yet started trickling in but the business model generates a turnover of about Rs 1.5 to 2 lakh per month. The founders now have bigger plans. "Currently in India, the e-waste is not properly dismantled. So we're planning to concentrate more on the e-waste side soon," Jegan said. Just six months since its inception, over 7,500 Chennaiites are already logging on to dump their trash. Sujatha and Jegan are planning to expand their operations to other cities too and for the moment it looks like their virtual trash can is only getting bigger.