Gurugram Woman Turns Waste into Wealth for Sustainability

Dr. Savita Nagpal, a 66-year-old resident of Gurugram, is championing a significant sustainability movement through her 'Slim Homes' initiative, now in its ninth year. Initially focused on promoting reuse, recycle, and reduce principles for single-use plastics and encouraging cloth bag usage, the program has evolved to emphasize mindful consumption and waste management.

Nagpal's efforts include household waste management and composting, urging residents to segregate organic waste and create compost from kitchen scraps. This reduces landfill burden and promotes natural manure use. Since 2020, Slim Homes has collected an impressive 166,000kg of plastic waste across Gurugram, collaborating with NGOs for segregation and processing. They also collected 71,068 kg of textile waste between 2024 and 2025.

Further expanding her environmental advocacy, Nagpal initiated tree plantation drives, planting over 100 saplings in South City-1 in 2020. Annually, she and her volunteers distribute saplings to residents in Gurugram and Delhi. Nagpal firmly believes that sustainability is essential for urban communities, advocating for a shift towards conscious consumption and community-level environmental action.