With Garr out for the Thanksgiving Holiday, Sabira reconnects with former colleague Vishal, who leads Waste Warriors—a nonprofit tackling the overwhelming waste crisis in India's Himalayan region. From his journey working at Saahas Zero Waste to now managing 200 team members across remote mountain communities, Vishal shares what it truly means to build a career in waste management—and why it's so much more than a job.The conversation explores the unique challenges of collecting waste in villages without road access, where single-use plastics have arrived but reverse logistics haven't followed. Vishal reveals the cultural stigma that educated women on his team face for choosing this work, how recognition and awards eventually transformed their families' shame into pride, and why 60% of waste in the Himalayan states is simply burned or dumped in forests and glacial streams.
