ZERO WASTE LADAKH is a nonprofit organisation working in the high Himalayas with individuals and local communities to address the problem of waste – a registered trust based in Ladakh with 12A and 80G certification.

Ladakh is a high-altitude desert region in the Indian Himalayas, known for its breathtaking landscapes and extremely harsh winters. Ladakh remained cut off from the rest of the country until the 1970s due to its remoteness and inaccessibility. In the 1970s, the Indian army established its military base in Ladakh because of its strategic position bordering Pakistan and China. Massive infrastructural construction followed: hundreds of kilometres of roads, an airport, fuel stations, government offices, provision stores, and barracks. Thousands of army personnel got stationed. Never before seen tourists, both foreign and Indian, started flocking to Ladakh. 

With the birth of tourism, hundreds of hotels, restaurants, cafes, homestays, and shops opened in Ladakh. Hiking and mountaineering to. Traditionally, Ladakh was a waste-free society –– some usage was made for every waste. However, after the 1970s, new types of waste appeared, such as plastics, cement, ceramic, rubber, glass, Tetra Pak, paperboard, metal, polyester, and e-waste, for which the local community had limited reuse and no means of disposal. Having no environmental pollution until very recently, the effects of excessive waste and improper disposal show more conspicuously in Ladakh than elsewhere.