28 April, 2026

Ms. Tulsa Karki, a 36-year-old resident of Itahari Sub-Metropolitan City Ward 6, lives with her 46-year-old husband and two sons aged 13 and 9. Her husband previously worked in Korea and has now returned to Nepal. Ms. Karki is a homemaker, responsible for childcare and household management.

Academically, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Sociology (2069 B.S.), reflecting her strong educational foundation and interest in social development. Despite her academic background, she had never received any formal training related to waste segregation or plastic management. Like many households, there existed a knowledge gap in proper waste handling and the potential value of plastic waste.

Recognizing her interest and potential, Ms. Karki was recommended by Itahari Sub-Metropolitan City to participate in a two-day training conducted by CLEAN UP NEPAL under the project: “Green Steps: Empowering Nepal through Waste Reduction.” The training covered key areas including; Introduction to waste segregation, Types of plastic waste and circular economy, Understanding plastics and multi-layered plastics (MLP), Plastic properties and their uses, Value chain creation from plastic and MLP, Health impacts of plastic burning, Business and entrepreneurship development and Policy, regulations, and stakeholder coordination.

The training significantly enhanced Ms. Karki’s knowledge of waste management and introduced her to the concept of the circular economy. It also provided foundational insights into entrepreneurship.

Motivated by the training, she immediately began applying her learning at home. She started collecting plastic waste not only from her household but also from relatives and neighbors. Using simple upcycling techniques, she began transforming multi-layered plastic (MLP) into useful household items such as pen holders and small storage containers.

The training marked a turning point in Ms. Karki’s life. It transformed her from a homemaker with limited exposure to waste management into an emerging community innovator. She developed practical skills in waste segregation and plastic upcycling. She demonstrated creativity by converting waste into valuable products. She initiated resource collection from her community. She strengthened her leadership and confidence. She laid the foundation for future income generating activities

Her journey reflects how knowledge and opportunity can unlock hidden potential, even within household settings.

Currently, Ms. Karki is actively collecting plastic waste from her community and producing innovative upcycled products. Her work is gradually gaining attention at the local level.

She believes that additional support such as refresher trainings, access to equipment, market linkages, and collaboration with technical institutions would further enhance her capacity and help scale her efforts.

With her strong academic background and growing practical experience, she is highly motivated to contribute to her community and engage in sustainable income generating activities.

The MLP training has significantly transformed Ms. Tulsa Karki from a homemaker with limited awareness into a confident, resourceful, and community driven change maker, actively promoting waste reduction and circular innovation at the grassroots level.