Visakhapatnam: Plastic bottles are transformed into decorative refrigerator magnets, discarded clothes become elegant jewels, while cow dung becomes seed-wrapped religious idols, who bloom into trees. Entrepreneurs are redefining the concept of waste – turning waste into valuable sustainable products. An innovative recycling joint venture operated in partnership with Swarnaandhra Vision 2047 of the state government shows that waste such as glass bottles, used clothing and single-use plastics can be turned into decorations, jewelry, artifacts, toys, environmentally friendly products and eco-friendly products.
Civil engineering graduate Malladi Umabala has revolutionized the traditional idol production industry. Her company operates under the name Punarapu, creating idols using cow dung with seeds embedded in them that turn into trees when immersed.
“When people are immersed in our idols, they don’t just complete a ritual – they are planting a tree,” she explained. The larger idols cost 400, while the smaller idols cost 50. She operates online without a physical store. Malladi has expanded its expansion internationally to export environmentally friendly products to foreign countries.
The product range extends beyond idols, including agarbattis (scented sticks), Dhoop Sticks, Rakhis and Diyas.
Another entrepreneur, Shalini Pedada’s waste connection is helping the economy of massive recycling. Dikshita, a worker who spoke to the correspondent, said the company made saris that matched jewelry pieces, dresses, discarded clothes, and necklace suits and earrings.
“We show that waste cannot be the end of the product, it can become something beautiful,” she notes.
On the other hand, the cooperative efforts between the three friends led to the establishment of three companies in different regions of the country. Hitesh Jain operates Maati India in Andhra Pradesh, Ashutosh operates Rescript in Mumbai, and Renuksha manages Jalebi in southern India.
Maati India specializes in cow dung paper products, providing ID cards, notebooks and greeting cards to universities. During the 72-hour process of converting feces into pulp, the paper is not only in the paper, but also healthier for the user.
“Our eco-friendly paper does not cause eye fatigue and eliminates bleach found in conventional papers that may damage internal organs,” Jain explained. While eco-friendly options are priced at 5% higher than traditional paper, the health and environmental benefits demonstrate the price difference.
Jialibi took a step further in sustainability through a 15-day papermaking process. Their calendar and reminder paper contains five different seed varieties such as strawberries, peppers, tomatoes, coriander and mint to ensure that when the paper is finally composted, edible plants are produced.
