KATHMANDU — Marking World Environment Day 2025, Ncell Foundation, in collaboration with Khaalisisi and Budhanilkantha Municipality, hosted “BIN THERE, HACKED THAT!”, Nepal’s first flagship waste management hackathon. The event attracted over 400 applicants, narrowing down to 13 finalist teams who developed innovative, tech-driven solutions addressing Nepal’s escalating waste crisis.
Team EcoLoop from Thapathali Campus, Institute of Engineering (IoE), won first place with a gamified platform enabling households to segregate, track, and responsibly dispose of waste while earning rewards. Team Fullstackzerowaste from King’s College Nepal secured the runner-up position with a project focused on landfill circularity. Team Source Code, from Kathmandu University’s AI department, earned second runner-up honors for their AI-powered waste management and CO₂ tracking system.
Hon’ble Minister of Forests and Environment Ain Bahadur Shahi Thakuri praised the event, highlighting waste as an economic, social, and environmental challenge, and commended the young innovators for charting a path forward. The hackathon underscored the power of public-private collaboration and youth-driven innovation in advancing Nepal’s circular economy.
Bishakha Lakshmi Khadka, Director of Ncell Foundation, lauded the hackathon as a platform for civic innovation that empowers changemakers to create impact through technology. Aayushi KC, Founder of Khaalisisi Management, emphasized raising awareness and fostering actionable, inclusive solutions—over 40% of finalist teams were led or co-led by women, a notable shift in a traditionally male-dominated sector.
The winning teams will receive mentorship and incubation support from the Confederation of Nepalese Industries Young Entrepreneurs Forum (CNIYEF) and will be fast-tracked for pilot projects with municipalities and industry partners.
Organized alongside Golyan Group and supported by partners such as Plast Nepal Foundation, Coca-Cola Beverages Nepal, Nabil Bank, Fusemachines, and others, the hackathon highlighted innovations ranging from smart segregation and recycling platforms to data-driven waste tracking and community composting.
