Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh

What started off as a humble attempt to help the victims of the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy to return to normalcy has now transformed into an avenue which ensures livelihood opportunities for women in the Madhya Pradesh capital.

Set up three decades ago in 1992, Bhopal-based non-governmental organisation, Mahashakti Seva Kendra, has been working both on women empowerment and environmental protection. For the last six months, as part of one of its projects, women from the lower economic strata of Bhopal have been recycling and upcycling multilayer plastic waste by converting it into products such as laptop bags, baskets, curtains, and bags.

“The question as to how we can connect charitable work with environmental protection has always been at the forefront of my mission in life. This led us to come up with the idea of recycling multilayer plastic waste to produce marketable products which can fetch profits for the women who make them,” Puja Iyenger, the director of Mahashakti Seva Kendra, told Gaon Connection.

Every month, the women-led non-profit collects about 60 kilogrammes of multilayer plastic waste from its partners, and in the past six months, it has utilised almost 300 kilogrammes of plastic waste in the making of the products.

“Our customers themselves provide us with the multilayered plastic waste generated in their households. Such waste includes wrappers of edibles like chips, biscuits, tetrapaks, and other ready-to-eat snacks,” Iyengar said.

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The NGO director told Gaon Connection that almost two kilogrammes of multilayer plastic waste is utilised in the making of a product like a laptop bag, handbag or a basket, and at least five kilogrammes of such waste is utilised in the making of a heavier product like a carpet.

The NGO, Mahashakti Seva Kendra, which is entirely managed by women, works on the principle of providing sustainable livelihoods and also provides vocational training to women to help them skills and help them achieve financial independence.

These products are not only sold in the domestic markets but are also delivered to offshore customers in Germany, United States, and Australia.

Keerti Lodhi, a 42-year-old mother of two, is one of the 15 women in the NGO who are associated with the multilayer recycling project and has benefited from the production and sale of products.

“I have been working at the naari shakti kendra [NGO] for the last three years. Earlier I was entirely dependent on my husband’s earnings for the sustenance of my family. He works as a daily wage labourer. My children’s education used to suffer frequently. But ever since I have been working here, I easily earn upto Rs 6,000 per month which has ensured that my children can study without any hurdles,” she told Gaon Connection.

“Also, ever since I have started contributing to my family’s earnings and have taken up the responsibility of funding my children’s education, I feel a sense of heightened respect for myself in my household,” Lodhi added.

How multilayer plastic waste gets converted to saleable items

Iyenger, the director of the NGO, told Gaon Connection that the collected plastic wrappers are first washed and then spread into long sheets and dried.

“After cutting it into long sheets, we stitch it together with a cotton cloth and the fabric so created is used to make diverse products like laptop bags, decorative pieces, carpets, hand bags and travel bags. Some of these products are waterproof as well,” she explained.

These products are not only sold in the domestic markets but are also delivered to offshore customers in Germany, United States, and Australia.

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“We sell a handbag for Rs 700 and a laptop bag for Rs 600. When the products are sent abroad, of course, there are added courier charges which are borne by the customers. They happily do so because we only charge them for the labour cost of stitching these products by women,” the NGO director said. “The raw materials are available to us free of cost which already keeps the prices low as compared to relatable products in the market,” she added.

Every month, the women-led non-profit collects about 60 kilogrammes of multilayer plastic waste from its partners, and in the past six months, it has utilised almost 300 kilogrammes of plastic waste in the making of the products.

Meanwhile, the women’s group is not only limited to manufacturing products recycled from plastics but also organises workshops to benefit women by raising awareness on topics like health and gender.

“It helps us in becoming self aware about issues that are of prime importance to us. We are also counselled if we face any family problems in life,” Amodha, a worker hailing from Tamil Nadu, told Gaon Connection.

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Amodha’s husband works at a medical store in Bhopal and his earnings as a salesman never motivated her to think of owning a house of her own.

“Now, I can think of owning my own house. Thanks to the additional income from my work here in the NGO. It has made me far more confident about myself,” she added.