We welcome Garima Poonia from India, our new Young Ambassador for EndPlasticSoup.
Garima Poonia, founder of the Kachrewaale Foundation in the Andamans and Nicobar Islands, is a Young India Fellow from the 2014-15 batch with a background in English Literature. After transitioning into waste management, she was captivated by the Andamans, initiating a groundbreaking waste management system there in 2018.
This led to the creation of the Kachrewaale Foundation, which has significantly advanced waste management in the region. For her work, Garima was awarded by the Lieutenant Governor of Andamans, and onboarded as a consultant for the Andaman government. She supported the government in the expansion of the Kachrewaale model to different islands in the Andamans, and also towards creating tailored policy for this uniquely challenging geography, including EPR and SWM Bye Laws.
Currently, her foundation is focused on Ocean Plastics aimed at addressing marine litter originating from the Andamans and twenty other countries. This initiative seeks to gather data, develop effective cleanup methods, and alleviate the marine litter burden. The foundation is also working with local community to set up waste reducing initiatives such as bartan banks, and sustainable menstruation.
Garima’s work has been featured on various platforms, such as the Times of India, The Financial Express, Rajya Sabha TV, Down to Earth among others. She has also been a panelist at a national conference on marine litter, organised by the Center for Science and Environment. She was also awarded the Samir Acharya Memorial Award for her work towards protecting the fragile environment of Andamans.
