Founder
Consultant — Academia, Industry & Government
In his words
I build the people the waste and environment sector is short of.
The level of technology and professional competency within the industry has advanced significantly, alongside frequent regulatory changes in the field of Environmental Sciences and Technology in India. Despite this progress, there remains a critical shortage of skilled professionals in the waste management and recycling sector.
Ashrita Institute for Waste Management & Research plays a pivotal role as a catalyst between industry and academia — upscaling, upgrading and equipping aspiring students, research scholars, working professionals, managers, academicians and entrepreneurs with the skills to address existing challenges and bridge industry gaps.
Sectors such as waste management, recycling and environment management are seeing increasing demand, with growing opportunities to deliver impactful projects and programmes across multiple countries.
Background
Two decades across India, the Gulf and West Africa
A Master's graduate in Biotechnology with more than two decades of techno-managerial experience in environmental services, waste management, recycling, sustainability and resource management, across Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
He began as a faculty member at the Environment Protection Training & Research Institute in Hyderabad, where early work in environmental education, research, training and capacity building set the direction for everything since — a career spanning consulting, operations, technology management, institutional development and strategic environmental planning.
His engagements have been associated with organisations including Re Sustainability (Ramky), the Confederation of Indian Industry, EPTRI, GHMC, the Centre for Waste Management (TADWEER) in Abu Dhabi, the Lagos Waste Management Authority, ni-msme and the Special Economic Zone at Duqm in Oman. He is currently engaged in waste collection and transportation operations management in Oman, under the be'ah ecosystem.
Alongside the operational work he has stayed close to teaching — guest lectures, management development programmes and technical sessions — and has supported students, researchers and young environmental professionals through mentoring and research guidance. His view is that the future of environmental management depends on a stronger bridge between industry, academia, government and communities, which is the thinking AIWMR was founded on.
What the work has covered
- Integrated municipal solid waste management and strategic waste planning
- Waste collection, transportation and route optimisation
- Transfer station planning, design, modernisation and operational improvement
- Dumpsite rehabilitation and landfill management
- Composting and Material Recovery Facility development
- Hazardous, industrial and biomedical waste management
- Environmental impact assessment for infrastructure and mining projects
- Waste planning for aviation, hospitality, commercial, industrial and Special Economic Zone developments
- Waste management strategies for major events, including Expo 2020 Dubai
- Emergency and quarantine waste management, including the COVID-19 response in Abu Dhabi
- Digitalisation and IoT-based waste management systems
- Capacity building and institutional strengthening
Named programmes
- Cleaner Lagos Initiative, Nigeria
- Swachh Bharat Mission, India
- Duqm Special Economic Zone dumpsite rehabilitation, Oman
- Shimoga Integrated Municipal Solid Waste Management Project, India
- Agege Transfer Station development, Nigeria
Practice
Where the work sits
Three constituencies, each with a different problem. The common thread is capability — the people who have to run the system once the consultant leaves.
Academia
Curriculum design, faculty development and industry–academia projects — putting current sector practice in front of students and research scholars before they graduate into it.
Industry
Compliance and capability work for manufacturers, healthcare providers and waste operators: audits, EPR obligations, documentation, and training the teams who have to hold the system together day to day.
Government
Advisory work with municipal bodies and public programmes — sanitation systems, legacy dumpsite remediation and the capacity building that decides whether a scheme survives its launch.
Certifications & memberships
Founder's Credentials
Registered Environmental Practitioner (REnvP)
Institute of Sustainability & Environmental Professionals, and member of the Society for the Environment (SocEnv).
Project Management Professional (PMP®)
Project Management Institute.
Certified Solid Waste Manager
World Bank certification in solid waste management.
Certified Environmental Professional
United Nations Environment Programme.
Zero Waste TRUE Advisor
Green Business Certification Inc (GBCI), the body behind the TRUE zero-waste certification.
Individual member, ISWA
International Solid Waste Association, alongside membership of the International Water Association and the Environment Society of Oman.
ESG Certified Professional
TATA. Complemented by IOSH health and safety certification (UK).
ISO Internal Auditor
TÜV Nord.
QCI-NABET member
Personal membership of the National Accreditation Board for Education and Training, under the Quality Council of India.
Education
Qualifications
MSc, Biotechnology
Barkatullah University, Bhopal
2003
Postgraduate Diploma in Environmental Law & Policy
WWF India and National Law University, Delhi
Beyond the practice
Speaking & published work
Resource speaker
Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programmes, Government of India
Resource speaker
Environment Protection Training & Research Institute (EPTRI) and the National Institute for Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (Ni-MSME)
Resource speaker
United Architects of the Philippines, Abu Dhabi Chapter
Resource speaker
Forest College & Research Institute, Telangana
Rapporteur
National and international seminars and workshops
Taxonomic and molecular approach in identification of species
ENVIS Newsletter — The Eastern Ghats, Vol. 13 No. 2
Biomonitoring and bio-mapping of potential water bodies in Hyderabad
TAAL 2007 International Conference on Lakes
I would like to thank Mr. Sushanth Gade for the services he has been providing — these times need exactly such efforts. I have known him personally for the past 20 years, and for the best part of it he has had a constant desire to establish an organisation to serve the scientific community.
Dr. Pramod Kumar
Scientist
AIWMR
Get in touch with Sushanth
For consulting engagements, training partnerships, academic collaboration or speaking requests. Offices in India, United Arab Emirates, Nigeria.