Recycling paper is not rocket science. All you need is patience, some creativity and a lot of used paper!
Forest. Wood. Paper. Rubbish. The cycle pretty much ends there in most cases. There are always piles of used exercise books, books and newspapers stacked neatly gathering dust. Once ready, paper goes on a fascinating journey, carrying secrets of the world, words from the heart and thoughts in the head from the writer’s desk to shelves, bags and hands of its readers. And to think that these same sheets of paper could be deemed as waste.
Subin, Srijana and JJ are three young faces I met when looking for people who thought recycling was not just useful but cool. “In our store, we have products that will interest those who love nature. There are products made out of scrap wood, newspapers and old paper,” says Srijana, one of the minds behind the Earthy store. Besides their other products, the store makes newspaper bags and visiting cards using recycled paper. What is striking is their Tree of stories, an entire tree put together by recycling newspaper to tell the story of tree - the irony! Recycling it seems, has been redefined these days by not just creating useful items but brilliantly innovative ones too.
Recycling produces items such as pen holders, photo frames, wrapping paper, jewelry boxes and decorative items amongst others and so on. In all cases, recycling is not limited to mere utilization of resources but more of giving new life to things that have been deemed useless. Today an interesting group of people are working together to create something that is not just business-oriented but environment-friendly as well. Some of these people working to create innovative paper products and recycled items are young faces, be it in places like Jamarko or at Earthy. They have an idea about the kind of products that can impress as well as inspire the masses to use and then, reuse them.
Next time you look for something to adorn your room or your friend’s room, make sure you think out of the box and search for something that has its worth and purpose. You will not just find variety but new ways of displaying items by using recycled paper products. Create some by yourself too.