Turn old clothes into cash: How a Bengaluru startup is tackling textile waste

In a year, India generates a whopping 7.1 to 7.8 million tonnes of textile waste. So last month, when my colleague was looking for places she could dispose of gently used apparel, I went down the rabbit hole of looking for individuals or NGOs who help you declutter consciously. Several clothing giants welcome old garments in exchange for discount coupons but more often than not these initiatives are greenwashing consumers. A very small percentage of the clothes that are deposited are actually recycled, with a majority ending up in landfills.  

In Bengaluru, a start-up is aiming to change that by not just creating much needed space in your wardrobe but also rewarding users with an instant cashback. NoKasa (kasa meaning ‘garbage’ in Kannada) is the brainchild of Prasad Lingawar and Nachiket Acharya, hostel mates-turned-business founders. “Nachiket and I wanted to do something about the growing waste problem in Bengaluru. To understand the ecosystem better, we met multiple stakeholders, from Sahaas’ MRF center in Jigani to multiple MRF centers run by Hasiru Dala. Our initial idea was to use our technology expertise to solve the waste problem,” says Prasad, 33, a tech professional who has worked with various startups before launching NoKasa in 2024.