NoKasa turns old clothes into a circular opportunity

Bengaluru’s waste problem extends far beyond plastic and food scraps. Discarded clothing is also adding to the city’s growing landfill burden.

Two entrepreneurs are now building a startup around solving that overlooked problem.

Prasad Lingawar and his college friend Nachiketa Acharya founded NoKasa after studying Bengaluru’s waste ecosystem.

The Kannada word kasa means garbage. Their platform helps households give unwanted textiles a more responsible destination through doorstep collection.

The idea emerged from a simple gap. Residents could easily find scrap collectors for paper, plastic and metal.

However, finding someone to collect old clothes was far harder. During a collection drive, the founders found that at least four in 10 participating households had textile waste to give away.

NoKasa began collecting garments and offering ₹10 per kg for wearable clothes. It later partnered with Bengaluru-based NGO Hasiru Dala and introduced smart collection bins in residential communities.

Each bin can hold up to 100 kg. An alert helps the team arrange collection when it reaches around 75-80% capacity.

After collection, the startup sorts the clothes into three categories. Category A includes wearable garments, which are sold through existing markets. Category B contains repairable pieces, which are refurbished or donated.

Category C covers damaged textiles that cannot be reused. These go for recycling, upcycling or downcycling through partner organisations such as Sahaas.

This process keeps usable clothing in circulation while giving damaged material another purpose. Recycled textiles can become bags, mattress fillings, cushions and other products.

Since beginning operations in 2025, NoKasa says it has diverted more than 60,000 kg of textile waste from landfills.

The startup operates with a small team, two collection vehicles and warehouses in HAL and Jigani. Its limited collection slots often fill quickly, showing strong demand for responsible textile disposal.

The bootstrapped venture now aims to expand across Bengaluru. The founders also plan refurbishment centres for washing, ironing, dyeing and repairing garments.

They eventually want to take NoKasa to Hyderabad and Chennai while developing an online resale channel.

By creating a collection and recovery network for unwanted clothes, NoKasa is turning a neglected waste stream into a circular business opportunity.

Image Credit: Nokasa Website Screenshot

Image Reference: https://nokasa.co/