WASTE IS NOT WASTE: Jabir Karat on Waste, Dignity and India’s Circular Economy | What’s Your Story: The New Earth Grid In this episode of What’s Your Story: The New Earth Grid, Manini speaks with Jabir Karat, Founder and CEO of Green Worms Waste Management Pvt. Ltd., about waste, dignity, circular economy and what it takes to build a business that solves a real social and environmental problem. Jabir’s journey began in a small village in northern Kerala. After college, he wanted to do something meaningful and started exploring different areas before he found himself drawn to India’s waste crisis. What began as a search for purpose eventually led him to work as a waste collector in 2014, going house to house and learning the system from the ground up. In this conversation, Jabir explains what social entrepreneurship really means: building a business model that can make money while solving a social or environmental problem. He shares how Green Worms works with governments and businesses to manage waste responsibly, scientifically, transparently and with traceability. The episode goes deep into the parts of waste management most people never see: low-value materials that scrap dealers do not collect, waste that is usually burned or buried, alternative fuel, textile recovery, EPR compliance, plastic credits and the challenge of building revenue streams around materials nobody wants. Jabir also speaks about the human side of waste. Green Worms employs people from rural areas, many of them women, and works to make waste management a safe, dignified and respected profession. He talks about wages, health insurance, pensions, safety standards and why the people who handle waste are essential to society. This conversation is not just about garbage. It is about systems change. It is about why waste management needs governance, leadership, infrastructure, human resources, finance, technology and behaviour change working together. It is also about the kind of future we are building. As Jabir explains, when waste is burned, dumped or ignored, it returns to us through the air we breathe, the water we drink, the soil we grow food in and even the oceans where our food systems begin. In this episode, we discuss: 00:00 Introduction to Jabir Karat and Green Worms 00:25 Why Jabir chose to work with waste 01:45 What social entrepreneurship really means 03:00 How the Gandhi Fellowship shaped his journey 05:55 From idea to building Green Worms 07:35 What Green Worms actually does 09:30 Why India’s waste problem is solvable 11:10 Giving dignity to waste workers 14:55 Building a self-sustaining business, not a charity 18:55 The challenge of textile waste 22:55 What circular economy really means 24:40 Scaling from 300 kg to 400 metric tonnes a day 25:45 Working in Kerala, Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep 28:20 Leadership, innovation and improvisation 32:15 Why waste management is a governance issue 35:15 Waste as a health, climate and infrastructure issue 42:20 Rapid fire with Jabir Karat 47:20 What success has taught him 47:35 What would make Green Worms a true systems change story 48:25 Advice for social entrepreneurs 52:55 Closing thoughts About Jabir Karat: Jabir Karat is the Founder and CEO of Green Worms Waste Management Pvt. Ltd., a circular economy enterprise working at the intersection of waste management, resource recovery, dignified employment and environmental impact. Connect with Jabir Karat Green Worms Website: https://www.greenworms.org/ Green Worms Our Story: https://greenworms.org/our-story/ Green Worms Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenworms_/ Green Worms LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-worms-waste-management/ Jabir Karat LinkedIn: https://in.linkedin.com/in/jabir-karat Do you know someone building a new system? What’s Your Story: The New Earth Grid is looking for powerful stories of entrepreneurs, creators and changemakers who are building new ways of thinking, leading, healing, educating, working and living. If you or someone you know is helping bring a new future into form, get in touch with us. Email: whatsyourstorypodcastneg@gmail.com About the podcast: What’s Your Story: The New Earth Grid explores the people building new ways of leading, creating, healing, educating, serving and living. These are conversations with people turning ideas into action and helping bring a new grid online. Subscribe for more conversations with the makers, thinkers and leaders shaping a more conscious future. #JabirKarat #GreenWorms #CircularEconomy #WasteManagement #SocialEntrepreneurship #Sustainability #DignityOfLabour #ClimateAction #NewEarthGrid #WhatsYourStory #ManiniPriyan Email:whatsyourstorypodcastneg@gmail.com Thanks for listening to What's Your Story Podcast
