USEFUL WASTE

An article by
PRAGATHI MATETI

Not all leftover waste should be considered useless. When we

go deeper into the roots, every material can be reused.
Studying the properties of trash and extracting valuable items,
will be equivalent to a great invention for humans today, rather
than producing new commodities by some other means.

Over 90% of garbage is openly dumped or burned in low-

income countries. We know that the production of waste is
unstoppable. Why can't we consider this the raw material?
This kind of approach may create many ways of using waste
not only in an eco-friendly way but economically too.

Each harvesting season, nearly 100 million metric tonnes of

sugarcane waste are produced. Rather than burning it, the
company makes biodegradable products(tableware). These
products can be broken down in a backyard compost heap. It
roughly takes 3 months to degrade.

Plastic in the ocean can be converted into sneakers.

This can all be done by collecting them and making them
into sheets by different processes. Companies are even
saying that each pair of sneakers is made of 10 bags and
12 plastic bottles. Adidas is producing 10 million shoes
with recycled ocean plastic.

"Creativity is making
marvellous use of the
discarded."
13

NEWTON'S APPLE MARCH 2023

 Why can't the temple waste be considered
pollution? Because these flowers are used in
rituals, they are regarded as sacred. Every day,
nearly 1000 tonnes of flowers end up in the
Ganges River. With these flowers, the PHOOL
company in India is making incense sticks. They
call it flower recycling.
Carbon Craft Design, a design and material start-
up based in Mumbai is harnessing air pollution to
make carbon tiles. This alternative in the
construction industry accounts for between 25–
40% of the world's carbon emissions. Each
carbon tile is equivalent to cleaning 30,000 litres
of air.
Nearly 1 tonne of banana produces 2 tonnes of
debris(waste). With that considerable waste by
undergoing various technical methods, we are
able to make rugs, placemats, hair extensions,
and sanitary pads. Banana fibre is the next fibre
in terms of sustainability.
NEWTON'S APPLE MARCH 2023
Coming to E-waste, one of the increasing wastes,
unlike others, needs a complicated procedure to
make use of it. The central sources of this are
phones, laptops, and vehicle batteries. E-waste is
processed and valuable materials are extracted by
bicycle.
We can't confine our knowledge to these ideas
alone. There are many other ideas to make use of
waste and redefine its meaning as "useful in
another way". This kind of development is the best
way to use nature to save nature.
Last but not least, before I end, I would say, "I
don’t think outside the box; I think of what I can do
with the box."
- PRAGATHI MATETI
(1602-21-735-090)
14