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while urban dwellers might discard fruit peels as waste, rural communities of
ten repurpose them as cattle feed. This seemingly simple observation carries
immense philosophical weight: it reframes “waste” not as an endpoint, but as
a “substrate,” a valuable raw material ripe for transformation within a circular
economy model. Abhishek articulated this clearly: “When the entire city throws
their trash out, and it reaches the dump site, that is a substrate for us. We are
processing it, and we are making wealth out of it”. This concept of waste relativ
ity is a key principle in Abhishek’s approach to waste management, emphasizing
the need to view waste not as a problem, but as a potential resource that can be
harnessed for the benefit of society and the environment.
His work is intrinsically about this alchemy, converting discarded materials into
tangible assets. This “wealth” manifests in various forms: energy, such as biogas
or electricity, or other resources like recyclables and reusables. The objective is
to consistently integrate these recovered elements into productive cycles, clos
ing the loop and reducing reliance on virgin materials. This perspective is not
merely theoretical; it underpins the design of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs)
for solid waste management. Abhishek stresses that successful DPRs cannot be
uniformly replicated across India due to the nation’s vast diversity. Factors such
as geographical location, climatic conditions, population density, and local eco
nomic drivers dictate the appropriate technology. A city near agricultural fields