Mumbai-based NGO Greensole has been working for the past 10 years in recycling urban waste products and using it to make things like school bags, slippers, shoes, mats, etc, for schoolchildren in rural, tribal areas
Schoolchildren hold aasans (floor mats) given by the NGO Greensole. PIC/BY SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
THE hordes of flex banners used by the mandals across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region during the 10-day-long Ganesh Utsav, as well as those used by political parties during this time, may finally be useful in a unique way — to recycle into ‘aasans’ or floor mats for schools in the rural side of the state and in tribal areas where benches are not available for schoolchildren, due to which they have to sit on the floor.
Mumbai-based NGO Greensole, which has been working for the past ten years in recycling urban waste products, is tying up with local Ganesh mandals to provide them with used flex banners instead of discarding them after the festival.
The NGO helps rural and tribal schools. Using recycled materials, they make school kits such as school bags, backpacks, slippers, shoes, mats, etc for the schoolchildren. While the backpacks are made from recycled clothes donated from citizens, the footwear is made from recycling unusable old footwear, also donated by the citizens.
The ‘aasans’ are made from flex banners donated by corporates after use. However, they are not always available in the same quantity as clothes or shoes.
Ramesh Dhami, the co-founder of the NGO, said, “We recycle flex banners to make floor mats and include them in the kits for the schoolchildren.”
He added, “But so many event organisers are now turning to digital marketing, and only a few use banners now. I am actively involved in regular research and development to find new materials which can be recycled and new products that we can develop which will appeal to the schoolchildren.”
Flex banners are made from PVC (polyvinyl chloride), a material that is coated with a fabric or polyester base, making it durable but also not ideal when it comes to disposal of the product as waste.
Chetan Divekar, a volunteer associated with the NGO, said, “It is important to recycle these. Many flex banners have logos of the firms or companies. One donor told me that he discovered the logo of his firm on a banner used within the premises of a toilet. When I asked what they do with these banners, I was told they burn them.”
Burning the material is extremely harmful for the environment, and little thought is put into ways in which it can be recycled, Divekar said.
“Organisations simply prefer to dispose of it. Recycling these into aasans for children is a fabulous idea, with long-term implications on the themes of recycling, reuse, and environmentally conscious decisions regarding waste disposal,” he added
Divekar has been coordinating with the Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) to donate all banners to Greensole for repurposing them into floor mats for schoolchildren.
Dhami said, “Less than 60 km from Mumbai, there are several tribal regions where schools are in a very bad condition. In Maharashtra, we have been coordinating with schools in Palghar, Mukhada, Raigad, Thane, and Karjat. Our kits are in huge demand."
Greensole recycles donated material at workshops in Bhiwandi and the outskirts of Mumbai.
Shriyans Bhandari, co-founder of the NGO, said, “We are a social enterprise that upcycles discarded footwear and materials into comfortable, durable slippers, bags, and mats for underserved communities. Our initiative has prevented over 3100 tonnes of CO₂ emissions by reusing non-biodegradable materials.”
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