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Towards zero waste to landfill

Infosys started its waste management journey in 2013, implementing an ‘avoid, reduce and recycle plastic’ approach to fulfill the organizational goal of zero waste to landfill. This entails a wide spectrum of initiatives, both internal and external.

  • Consciously replacing single-use consumables like paper cups and plates has led to a 95% avoidance rate. Through greater employee awareness and systemic interventions, we are also reducing the per capita waste generation.
  • In partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Infosys, on World Environment Day 2018, pledged to avoid 100% of identified single-use and non-recyclable plastic. This has led to the avoidance of 3.6 million single-use plastic items and reduction of per capita plastic waste by 46% as of 2020.
  • We have in place systems to segregate all waste and recycle 100% of our organic waste in-house. We partner with a strong external recycler network for recycling other waste types. By 2020, these efforts have increased our recovery rate and helped recycle 91% of the municipal waste.
  • We have nine automated biogas systems with an installed capacity of 3,700 TPA to treat food waste and the gas is utilized in food court kitchens. The yard waste from our large campuses is treated in eight organic waste converters that have an annual capacity of 2500 tons. The resulting rich organic compost is used as soil conditioner in the selfsame campuses, thereby reducing the use of chemical fertilizers.
  • In terms of academic and research collaborations, we work with Leibniz University, Germany to conduct India’s first corporate level waste characterization study. This equipped us with the scientific knowledge of our waste and allowed us to take appropriate decision in the management of waste.
  • We also offer internships to international students to undertake research and identify opportunities in waste management. This has enabled us to commission automated solar sludge dryers across five locations, treating 3,500 tons of sludge every year from our wastewater treatment plants – making it a first-of-its-kind initiative in India.
  • Case studies of our waste management initiatives have been presented at International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) World Congress 2017, Baltimore, USA and ISWA World Congress 2018, Malaysia apart from other publications.