Ncell Foundation, Khaalisisi, and Budhanilkantha Municipality are joining forces to host a unique Waste Hackathon on June 5, marking World Environment Day 2025.
Titled ‘Bin There, Hacked That’, the hackathon aims to bring together young innovators, entrepreneurs, designers, and environmental changemakers to develop tech-driven solutions to some of the country’s most pressing waste management challenges.
The event is set to take place at the Budhanilkantha Municipality Hall. The initiative seeks to spark scalable innovations in recycling, plastic pollution, landfill reduction, and the empowerment of informal waste workers—especially women, who currently make up less than 5% of the sector’s workforce, Ncell said in a statement.
“Ncell Foundation is proud to support this landmark initiative that blends digital innovation with environmental stewardship,” said Bishakha Lakshi Khadka, Director of Ncell Foundation & Special Projects. “We believe this hackathon will unlock creative, tech-first solutions to one of Nepal’s most pressing civic challenges—waste.”
Formal recycling infrastructure in Nepal remains underdeveloped. The hackathon is designed to flip the script, treating waste not just as a problem, but as an opportunity for innovation, employment, and environmental impact.
“This is more than just a hackathon—it’s a national call to rethink waste as a source of innovation, income, and impact,” said Amun Thapa, Founder & CEO of Khaalisisi. “With this platform, we are building pathways for youth, women, and technologists to co-create Nepal’s circular future.”
Applications for participation are open until May 28, 2025, welcoming students, startups, coders, engineers, designers, and anyone committed to building a cleaner, smarter Nepal. Teams will work on key themes such as: Landfill to Circularity, Waste Without Smoke, Women in Waste Entrepreneurship and Digitize Trash.
The hackathon is supported by a wide range of partners, including Golyan Group, Plast Nepal Foundation, Coca-Cola Beverages Nepal, CNIYEF, Nabil Bank, Grow By Idea, Cloudfactory, Fusemachines, Model Institute of Technology (MIT), Byapar Pathshala, and Ace Institute of Management.
