What if waste could create jobs, earn money, and feed the soil? That is exactly what 30-year-old Mohammad Aamir Khan from South Kashmir is proving with his initiative Green Wave and Waste to Health.
On a winter morning in Kulgam, Aamir stood beside a pile of uncollected garbage. The sight of plastic and food waste rotting in the open disturbed him deeply. Years later, this discomfort became the driving force behind his journey to turn waste into wealth.
Aamir, who grew up in Agroo Devsar in Kulgam district, earned his engineering degree in Bangalore in 2017. He then prepared for the UPSC Civil Services Examination but missed clearing it by a narrow margin. “I could not clear it by a narrow margin. But what I gained from the preparation was much more than just exam knowledge. It gave me deep insight into environment-related issues and instilled in me a desire to work for sustainability,” he recalls.
Even as he studied, he noticed plastic, polythene, and biodegradable waste damaging his surroundings. “Be it plastic, biodegradable waste or polythene — I saw how it was degrading our environment,” he says. Determined to find a solution, he researched global waste management practices and thought about how they could work locally.
In 2022, Aamir came across a fellowship under the Clinton Global Initiative University. His proposal for a decentralised rural waste management model was selected. Over nine months, he received three months of training in the United States and six months of online mentorship. “It was a transformative experience. I learnt leadership, execution strategies, and how to scale up grassroots innovations. It gave me the confidence to bring my ideas to life,” he shares.
In 2023, he set up his first composting unit on land he owned in Zahipora, Kulgam. The unit converted biodegradable waste into organic fertiliser branded as Green Wave. The Jammu and Kashmir Rural Development Department supported the initiative by collecting household waste and transporting it to the unit free of cost. Farmers now use the compost, households are part of the model, and locals are earning from recycled plastic.
Aamir’s initiative today benefits more than 4000 homes, creating an Rs 80 lakh waste management model and a movement for sustainability in South Kashmir.
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