Editor’s Note
This article highlights a promising innovation from Bengaluru that tackles the pervasive issue of household kitchen waste. Seema Singh’s startup, Dost Bin, offers a smart, odor-free composting solution, aiming to make sustainable waste management accessible in every home.
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A Bengaluru-based woman founder, Seema Singh, has created an innovation that could solve the kitchen waste problem in every household. Her startup, Dost Bin, makes a smart composter that converts waste into compost in just 14 days, and without any foul odor. So far, the startup has raised about ₹59.57 lakh in funding, with the goal of installing a compost machine in every home.
Seema Singh’s “Dost Bin” is not just a machine; it’s a new identity for green innovation in India. This startup shows that when technology and the environment are combined in the right direction, even a small idea can bring about significant change. If “Dost Bin” is installed in every home, it will certainly transform India’s waste management landscape.
Every household in India generates daily kitchen waste—vegetable peels, leftover food scraps, fruit peels. But have you ever thought that this very waste could become compost that enhances soil fertility? In simple terms, you can create compost from this waste, which is also called black gold.
Seema Singh, a resident of Bengaluru, has turned this thought into reality. She started the startup Dost Bin Solutions in 2023, which converts kitchen waste into compost without odor and without hassle. In just 14 days, your kitchen waste turns into fertilizer for plants—and without any foul smell.
Seema Singh is a Gold Medalist in MTech in Electronics and also holds a PhD in the same subject. She has been in the research and academics field for the past 23 years and is currently serving as the Dean of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at BMS Institute of Technology and Management (BMSITM), Bengaluru.
Faculty at the college are encouraged to work on their own innovations, and under this program, Seema laid the foundation for “Dost Bin.” Her goal is: “To make every household responsible towards the environment.”
The idea for Dost Bin began in July 2023, and in October 2023, Seema registered it as a startup. In February 2025, she delivered her first product to a customer. The company has achieved product-market fit with its Version 1 and is now launching Version 2. The company currently has three models, including two manual and one automatic model.
| Model Name | Type | Price (₹) |
| :— | :— | :— |
| Manual Basic | Manual | 17,000 |
| Manual Advanced | Manual | 22,000 |
| Smart Automatic | Automatic | 32,000 |
The Dost Bin machine works on a two-stage composting process. Let’s learn about it.
**1- First Stage:**
When kitchen waste is fed from the top, it breaks down via a shredder and aerator and reaches the bottom. This stage controls the moisture of the waste to prevent odor.
**2- Second Stage:**
Here, the machine has a rotor mixer and blower. In the automatic variant, these turn on automatically every 6 hours. This maintains the correct level of oxygen and microbes, and ready compost emerges from the bottom within 14 days.
Like high-tech startups such as Protouch, Dost Bin’s automatic model is also fully tech-enabled. It is connected to a mobile app where users can perform several tasks, such as:
* Monitoring machine data analytics
* Booking compost sales
* Ordering accessories like remix powder, cocopeat, charcoal
Seema’s journey has not been without support. Dost Bin has so far received ₹59.57 lakh in funding. She shared that initially, the college provided her with a ₹36,000 seed fund. After that, the steps to success were as follows:
| Source | Amount (in ₹) | Purpose |
| :— | :— | :— |
| College Fund | 36,000 | First Prototype |
| National Platforms (Cash Prize) | 3.5 Lakh | Product Development |
| College Principal Grant | 2.45 Lakh | Market-Ready Product |
| IIT Madras “Carbon Zero Challenge” | 5 Lakh | Innovation Grant |
| Karnataka Elevate Funding | 23 Lakh | Production and Branding |
| IIM Bangalore | 10 Lakh | Business Expansion |
| Ideabaaz (Shaili Chopra) | 25 Lakh | Product Scaling |
Currently, the company’s revenue is based on product sales and an accessory subscription model. The company sells compost bins. It also earns by offering subscriptions for remix powder, cocopeat, and charcoal. In the future, a “compost buyback model” is planned, where the company itself will buy the compost produced by Dost Bin.
The ultimate vision is to make composting a common practice in every Indian household, contributing to waste reduction and soil health.