Discarded plastic bags create employment and turn into things of beauty

Discarded plastic bags have become the bane of the earth. They fly everywhere, snag onto everything and are a visible reminder that something is not quite right with your world.

They get eaten by innocent animals and marine creatures that die miserable deaths because their digestive systems get choked. This happens every day and the scale is immense. 10,000 fish die off the coast of Greece every day. Imagine how many are dying around the world.

Even when neatly gathered and swept under the carpet (as landfill) they still do immense harm. That landfill is dead. Nothing will ever grow there.

The problem is becoming so acute that cities and states are now contemplating taxing plastic bags (it reduced usage by 90% in Ireland), but their convenience cannot be denied.

What does one do with used plastic bags?

A businessman in India got together with some designers to evolve a solution.

They started with a change in perspective. From viewing the material as a nuisance they started by looking at it as a very economical raw material available in abundance (the more affluent communities pay to have it taken away). A raw material that could be used by the very poor to earn a living.

To make sure that there were no barriers in the way, such as the lack of electricity in the poorer Indian villages, they evolved methods that didn’t even require electricity and created a new use for traditional pit looms that poor villagers have in their homes.

From this seemingly awful material they have succeeded in creating the most exquisite textured fabrics which are being turned into beautiful bags and blinds.

Photographs of some of their initial results are at http://www.badlani.com/recycle

They are now inviting input from individuals and bodies all over the world to help bring these unique products to market.

Any takers?
“There ought to be lots” says Rajiv Badlani, who initiated the effort, “everyone has this problem. Every community around the world ought to be sending us their discarded plastic bags to convert into products they can use”.

Just a little change in perspective and junk becomes beauty.

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Rajiv Badlani runs Norquest Brands, a small organisation based in Ahmedabad, India, that seeks to offer viable and attractive alternatives to plastic bags, which they consider a serious threat to our planet’s continued good health.