Dignity for Wastepickers | Tarini Ramchandani | TEDxYouth@SuchitraAcademy

Have you ever wondered what happens to the contents of our waste bins after they leave our homes? Can you imagine the health hazard of segregating soiled sanitary napkins and diapers with bare hands in order to separate recyclable waste? What it is like to walk in the scorching heat and at times rain, that too for years at end, just to survive? To add to this, there is a social stigma surrounding waste pickers. The taboos associated with waste also affect the way in which society perceives this issue. Ms. Tarini Ramchandani is a waste warrior, a change-maker and an artist. As a high school student she envisions a zero waste community and a cleaner and greener environment. She believes that when we dare to dream and are ready to do, we become unstoppable. Tarini is a waste warrior, a change-maker and an artist. She is currently a high school student. Changing lifestyles and consumption patterns have created an untenable amount of waste, adversely impacting our environment and society. Tarini’s Project Ashtami uses a combination of art, technology and innovation in order to change the status-quo. Tarini’s initiatives include organizing waste collection drives, designing a waste collection mobile app, and co-creating art with waste pickers for philanthropic purposes.