First step towards making earth a better place

My plastic upcycling story!!

I believe – Everything we do, the way we do, is all taught to us, or at least we see the most nearby example and learn. There is nothing innately generated, and social work is no exception. Growing up in a middle-class family, we believe that we don’t have anything more significant to offer to the world. So, we learn and try not to screw others and get screwed in that process. In a way, it could be good social work -‘ Not harming others.’ My mom used to quote her father when social work is mentioned – ‘If we are wiping our butt, it is also social work‘ – as we won’t smell foul and cause annoyance to others.

All these ideologies come from the middle-class upbringing that doesn’t allow us to think about our surroundings, nature, or anything that doesn’t benefit us directly. But the world is not always expecting great things. It could be usual stuff, a selfless and determined act. 

My upcycling story started due to my fears/ compulsion – just some crazy ass way to do something good. Here we go – 

I don’t know why I just can’t throw away stuff. I am a hoarder. I keep things believing that someday they could be put to use, so if I throw them now, I could feel bad. I know it sounds like a potential therapy-needed issue. Someday when I can afford therapy, I shall figure that out and write a blog about it.

Returning to the story, When I stay with my parents, my mom doesn’t allow this shit of keeping unnecessary things at home. If she feels it is not essential, that shit will be found in the dustbin next minute. A year back, when I found recharkha – the eco-social tribe – a plastic upcycling company, my mom just showed a blind ear to me. Well, she uses plastic covers to throw food waste. And, there are enough rants on Youtube that speak about our Indian household’s unrequited love for the collection of plastic covers.

When I moved to a new place for my education, I observed that the hoarder in me could be unleashed, and this time it could be put to some good use too.

PersonalPlastic collection for the first 4 months

Let me share with my readers a few of my observations in this journey from collection to sending out the first batch of plastic for upcycling.

Educated??

After a few months of my personal collection, I thought I could involve more people as I stayed in a hostel. My room is closer to the dustbin and a shared kitchen (such a win-win situation to collect plastic, right?). So I made a poster and hung a bag outside my room so that people could now dump their plastics in the bag.

Awareness and collection spot: Plastic upcycling

First, let me tell you why I took this action – I feel all the people out there want to be part of the greater good and contribute to a better society. But the want is not strong enough for them to act independently. So when an accessible way is shown to people (collection point in an appropriate location), people can’t resist acting.

Well, that bubble of thoughts didn’t last for long, and when it burst, it was harder. It was the evening when I hung the poster and bag, and at night when I went near the dustbin to throw food waste, I saw 5-6 new Maagi packets in it.

My first thought – Damm! Why did they throw it here? Didn’t they read the poster hanging right in front of them? Then, I was angry for a few moments and finally told myself, ‘Just because you had an epiphany, you can’t expect the people/world around you to have it.’ —> Lesson Learnt!

But something my current self-help book (MAGIC) is trying to teach me is to be ‘Thankful’ for anything and everything. So let me shift my focus toward people who dropped plastic.
Thank you! For joining your hands with me to make our earth a better place.

Not a social work

With this small act, do I consider myself a social worker?
Hell No! In fact, I am no way near it.
Do you know why?

The definition of social work (for me) is to be selfless and show higher determination in doing a greater good for society. If I had been selfless, as soon as I saw those plastic wrappers in the dustbin, I should have removed them from it and put them in my bag, which I didn’t do.

Maybe I haven’t reached that extent. But am I on the way to attaining it?
Hell Yah!

Got delayed, but it happened.

By August, I thought I had collected enough, and its time to send for upcycling. But my ignorance didn’t let me search for the nearest post office from where I could parcel the stuff to recharka’s office. For a long time, I kept reasoning my ignorance as I am new to where I am currently living and don’t know where to go to send this parcel. I also thought I needed another person’s assistance in this activity, so I kept pushing it further.

One day when someone asked for an update on parceling stuff, I took a minute of my time and thought – okay! Forget about the action; just have a casual google search on ‘nearest post office‘; based on the result, we shall proceed further.

The search result couldn’t be less shocking.

I had a post office 1 min away from me. It is on my campus behind an ATM which I will visit every month to draw my mess bill but never observe its existence.

Once I had this information which assured me I could do things by myself – It took less than 24 hours to jump into action. The pre-packed stuff had gone through one more final packing, and it was ‘Bye- Bye plastic time.‘

Bye Bye Plastic – Go get upcycled.

Well, this is the beginning of a very long journey. But the first time would always be special, so this blog celebrates the first of many.

reCharkha EcoSocial is an endeavor born out of an urge to change the face of our priceless natural surroundings, society, culture and heritage for the better.
reCharkha EcoSocial is a Social Enterprise, founded on the belief that, development can only be sustainable if it is bottom-up! This means, sustainable development is possible only when it begins at the grassroots and involves an empathetic understanding of the other biotic and abiotic communities.
Our three core areas of work are geared to achieve this very model!
These are:
1) Conserving our Environment and Heritage,
2) Enabling Rural Livelihoods and
3) Creating Conscious Consumers

Recharkha website