Bandra civic school students study on benches carved from cartons

Bandra school gets desks, chairs made from used cartons, as BMC ties up with waste management solutions firm to promote recycling

As part of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC's) ongoing initiative of promoting recycling of waste, students of Supari Tank Municipal School in Bandra have got new chairs and desks made entirely out of used food cartons. The civic body has tied up with RU Greenlife, a company that designs sustainable waste management solutions and is planning to build more benches for all municipal schools in H-west ward.

The BMC had earlier set up a collection centre at the school. In a bid to spread awareness about waste segregation, around 550 students were asked to collect cartons from their neighbourhood over the past month; they were able to get 4,500. The company then made sets of tables and chairs and donated them to the school.

How it works
Monisha Narke, founder of RU Greenlife, said the cartons can be recycled into composite sheets, which can then be used to make garden benches, school desks, recycling bins, pen stands and exam pads among other useful products. "It's a joint venture with Tetra Pak. We are hoping to spread the message to more, so that we can increase the collection of used cartons and put them to good use," she added. Narke also said that from the time the cartons are collected, it takes between a week and 10 days to make a piece of furniture, depending on complexity.

Around 4,000 cartons are used to make a one-seater desk and chair. Only nuts and bolts are then required to join the parts. Narke vouched for the sturdiness of the furniture and said it does not require any special maintenance.

BMC speak
Sharad Ughade, assistant municipal commissioner of H-west ward, said, "We are spreading the message of converting waste into wealth and segregation. Through this initiative, we were able to involve students, who contributed in segregating garbage and were able to understand the value of the byproduct."

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