RECHARKHA- ECOSOCIAL TRIBE: DRIVE TO CONVERT PLASTIC WASTE INTO BEAUTIFUL PRODUCTS USING CHARKHA

Highlights-

  • Pune-based entrepreneur, Amitais protecting the environment with her “reCharkha- EcoSocial Tribe”.
  • It aims to provide freedom from plastic waste.
  • Beautiful bags, electronic cases, pouches and purses, school bags, home decors etc. are made using plastic waste.

Charkha was a symbol of the Swadeshi Movement during the independence era. In that time, People used their own charkha and handloom at home to make their own khadi, silk or wool yarn, and then fabric. It was a step towards a self-reliant nation. The charkha was used to make India free from foreign products and to promote indigenous products.

Taking forward the ideals of Gandhi Ji of using Charkha, a Pune-based entrepreneur is protecting the environment with her “reCharkha- EcoSocial Tribe”. An IT engineer from Pune is giving the same message using the same charkha with her initiative. In this case, just the foreign product is being replaced by the modern-day problem- Plastic waste.

Freedom from plastic pollution

AmitaDeshpande, the founder of reCharkha- EcoSocial Tribe upcycles plastic waste such as wrappers and polythene by spinning it into yarn on a charkha. Handlooms are then used to weave the yarn into a plastic fiber. Earlier, charkha represented freedom from foreign rulers, and now reCharkha represents the global movement of “freedom from plastic pollution.”

Which products are upcycled?

Plastic/polythene bags, multilayered biscuits, and cookie wrappers, multilayered gift wrappers, and a variety of other household packaging materials, old audio and video cassettes tapes, such as cereal, flour, and detergent packets are some of the products which are recycled.

Who are the upcyclers?

reCharkhaEcoSocial provides sustainable livelihood opportunities to tribal women and youth. They make the products manually by weaving fabric from waste plastic using a traditional charkha (Spindle) and handloom.

Plastic waste to beautiful products

The organization claims to have upcycled 7,00,000 plastic packets into products such as home decor items, cutlery kits, storage baskets, potli, bags, jhola, grow pots, table mats, and more in the last year.

How it is done?

The process of ReCharkha’s model is simple. They collect plastic waste from individuals and organizations participating in Pune’s plastic collection drives. The waste is cleaned, washed, sanitized, and dried by about 15 people at the center. Every three months, it is further divided by color and sent to another unit in Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Another 15 workers spin waste into yarn, which is then woven into various beautiful products.

Journey of reCharkha- EcoSocial Tribe

To introduce alternatively sustainable practices to the masses, Amita became an entrepreneur in 2015 and began making bags out of upcycled plastic waste. They have so far saved approximately 1.5 million plastic bags and wrappers from landfills by upcycling them into bags. Plastic waste is woven into yarn on a charkha as a sustainable technique and also to keep an old Indian tradition alive.

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Dr. Kirti Sisodhia

Content Writer

CATEGORIES Business Agriculture Technology Environment Health Education

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