Help Build Darjeeling’s First Waste Innovation Center!

Every morning, the people of the Darjeeling hills wake up to breathtaking views of forests and mountains. But hidden beneath this beauty is a growing problem that most people don’t see—waste.

In the narrow mountain lanes, plastic packaging piles up. Paper waste clogs drains. Scrap cloth, glass, and metals have nowhere to go. With no proper waste facility nearby, much of it is either dumped into valleys or burned in open fires, harming both people and nature.

We believe this can change.

At TIEEDI, we are building the first-ever Waste Innovation Center in the Darjeeling Himalayas. This will not be just a recycling unit. It will be a space where waste is given a second life, where discarded materials are transformed into useful products like notebooks, insulation, packaging, and more.

It will also be a center for learning and sharing. Here, waste workers, youth, community groups, and even government officials will come together to learn hands-on skills. Together, they will explore ways to turn waste into something valuable and regenerative.

We have already begun this work on a small scale through our Green Mile project and the three zero-waste villages we are working with. The impact is growing. Government officials are now reaching out to us to replicate these solutions in other blocks.

This Center will help us take the next step.

We are ready with the designs and the vision. We have local builders, artisans, and engineers who will work on this space. But we need your support to complete the construction.

Your donation will help us:

• Build two new floors for the Waste Innovation Center
• Set up a paper upcycling unit and a rainwater harvesting system
• Install solar power and eco-friendly infrastructure
• Provide safe and dignified workspaces for waste workers and artisans
• Run training programs that spread zero-waste practices across the region

This Center is not just about Darjeeling. Mountain towns all across India face the same challenge of waste. By showing that even a small organization can create local solutions, we hope this model can inspire change far beyond our hills.

This is about rethinking how we see waste. Not as garbage, but as a resource for livelihoods, learning, and healing the land.

Every contribution you make will:

• Fund the construction of this unique center
• Support livelihoods in mountain communities
• Keep waste out of forests, rivers, and farmland
• Equip others to build similar solutions in their own towns

This is your chance to be part of something that transforms waste into hope.