Himkaar Singh, a South African entrepreneur, working in the organic waste field, has been named as one of Forbes Africa’s 30 Under 30.
Johannesburg, South Africa (06 June 2022) – Africa is home to some of the most innovative and inspiring people in the world! The untapped talent this continent has to offer is greatly under-estimated. We love sharing when people in all our neighbouring countries and beyond make a difference in the world.
Recently the Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 – Class of 2022 list was announced, and an innovative South African entrepreneur made the list!
“The Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 Class of 2022 care about being visionaries of change and catalysts for innovation. Being on the most-anticipated list on the continent, for these young trailblazers, is not just about commerce and clout but about ensuring they represent well their countries and the diverse, heterogeneous Africa they want to serve. Celebrating its eighth edition, the list this year features the best and the brightest, but importantly, the most resilient, who have taken the time to not only shine a light on the issues plaguing Africa’s growth in a pandemic era but also work towards shifting the narrative, one tiny, tenacious step at a time.”
Himkaar Singh – a local Joburger – came up with an incredible environmental initiative that has just been steadily growing in popularity since its launch in 2018. The Compost Kitchen earned Himkaar a place on the United Nations’ “Top 300 Best Practices on Sustainability in the world” in 2021, and now in 2022, he is a Forbes Africa 30 under 30 person to watch!
The Compost Kitchen collects organic kitchen waste and returns it to once their little hungry earthworms have transformed it into ‘vermicompost’ – a premium compost made by earthworms, which is the way nature intended and will provide biology in addition to nutrients.
This business model not only answers the call to rid our landfills of organic waste, but it addresses a cause close to Himkaar’s heart, and that is water scarcity in Southern Africa.
Organic waste is the most problematic waste stream because it produces methane in the landfill and can pollute groundwater when dumped in the landfill. Himkaar has a big dream to divert all of South Africa’s organic waste from the landfill so that it can be properly composted and thereby become a valuable soil conditioner. The richer and healthier soil is, the better it retains water and thus, the cycle of water changes.
Himkaar is so passionate about the soil and water he has a Facebook group dedicated to helping South Africans on their composting journey. The group also connects people to composting companies and services within areas not serviced by The Compost Kitchen.
We caught up with Himkaar to discuss what it felt like to be selected as one of the 30 under 30 people from Africa.
“I feel proud to have been selected for the 30u30 list, especially during this time in South Africa when people are wondering what the future looks like, because I am showing that there is still a lot of opportunity for innovation, business and impact.”
Himkaar continues to innovate in the field of organic waste and hopes to be able to reach people from all demographics and educate them about the importance of soil health. We asked him his plans for the next 30, and he shared some inspiring thoughts.
“My life has always been about water and in the next 30 years I am working on a new technology that will hopefully aid in solving one of mankind’s gravest problems related to irrigation.”
Himkaar believes there is untapped potential for entrepreneurs in the food waste recycling industry, mainly because a business can be started with very little. Doing good used to only be associated with non-profits, but Himkaar is trying to show that impact can also be made while making a profit too.
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