Ncell Foundation, Khaalisisi, and Budhanilkantha Municipality are jointly hosting “Bin There, Hacked That,” Nepal’s inaugural flagship waste hackathon, on June 5 at Budhanilkantha Municipality Hall. The event coincides with World Environment Day 2025 and aims to unite technologists, creatives, entrepreneurs, and climate advocates to address Nepal’s mounting waste challenges using technology and innovation.
The hackathon embodies a pioneering public-private partnership involving digital innovators, formal waste management sectors, and progressive local governance. It strives to spark scalable tech-driven solutions tackling waste management, recycling infrastructure, plastic pollution, and empowering informal waste workers—particularly women, who currently make up less than 5% of Nepal’s waste workforce.
Bishakha Lakshi Khadka, Director of Ncell Foundation, stated, “We believe this hackathon will unlock creative, tech-first solutions to one of Nepal’s most pressing civic challenges – waste.”
Nepal produces over 3,000 tonnes of waste daily, yet its formal recycling systems remain underdeveloped. The event encourages participants to view waste as an opportunity for innovation, income generation, and climate resilience.
Amun Thapa, Founder and CEO of Khaalisisi, emphasized, “This is more than just a hackathon – it’s a national call to rethink waste as a source of innovation, income, and impact. We are creating pathways for youth, women, and technologists to co-create Nepal’s circular future.”
Applications are open until May 28, 2025, welcoming students, startups, engineers, designers, coders, and informal sector champions passionate about creating a cleaner Nepal. Selected teams will work on themes such as ‘Landfill to Circularity,’ ‘Waste Without Smoke,’ ‘Women in Waste Entrepreneurship,’ and ‘Digitise Trash.’
The hackathon is supported by partners including Golyan Group, Plast Nepal Foundation, Coca-Cola Beverages Nepal, Nabil Bank, Cloudfactory, and others. For more information and applications, interested individuals can visit the event website.
