Often we throw plastic bottles, sheets, cans as garbage, but do you know that the things we need can also be made from the same plastic garbage. That too in an eco-friendly way. You might be surprised to know this, but it is a fact. One such initiative has been started by Sunny Goel from Delhi and Unnati Mittal of Khandwa. Together they are making furniture and home decoration items from plastic waste. He started this startup only a year ago. Right now he is earning one lakh rupees every month from this.
Plastic waste is a big challenge for all of us. According to a report, 1.5 million tonnes of plastic waste is generated in India every year. Most of it is dumped into the sea. Plastic is decomposed or recycled on a very small scale. However, in the last few years, awareness about plastic waste management has increased a bit. Many youths are working to reduce this trouble.
Sunny, 21, and Unnati, 22, are both B.Com graduates. Both have studied together at a college in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Sunny says that when I was in my first year, I used to go on tour with friends. Plastic waste was often found there. People used to throw plastic waste everywhere after using it. I used to suffer from this and since then I was wondering how to get rid of it.
In the year 2018, I talked to a professor of my colleagues about this. Then he gave information about plastic waste management. After that, I started researching it. Studied many projects and the prototype was prepared in the lab of the college itself. It was successful. People were also praised. A few days later, in a competition, we became the winner and got a prize. Sunny says that when people got a good response, I felt that we should take this work forward. Then I spoke to Unnati and started it at the professional level in the year 2020.
Sunny and Unnati together took an office on rent in Indore. Hire some employees and interns. After this arranged a lab and compressor machine. It cost about 10 lakh rupees. He registered his company under the name Plament and started working. Sunny says that we made furniture for schools, colleges, and some restaurants in Indore. For many people, we also prepared the essentials of the house. Since our idea was unique and the quality was good, the demand of people kept increasing. However, due to Corona, there was a nationwide lockdown.
This had a direct impact on our business. Initially, we were not able to decide how to take it forward. The artisans were not ready to work and it was also not right to call them to work amid the pandemic. So after a few months, we had to stop work. After that, when the situation got better, we started working back, but then the second wave threatened. We had to stop working again. However, things are slowly getting better now. We are going back to our work. We have received orders from many individuals and corporate customers. Even after Kovid, we have done business of about 12 lakh rupees in the last year.
Sunny explains that to prepare furniture from plastic waste, first, we collect plastic waste. For this, along with the landfill, we have also contacted the workers of the local municipality. They supply us with plastic waste. After collecting plastic waste, we divide it into different categories. It is then heated to a fixed temperature. This melts the plastic waste. After that, we add a chemical to it. And after processing prepare the sheet. This sheet is fitted on the prototype after quality testing. Then furniture and other products are made from it.
At present 4 people work in Sunny's team. Apart from this, some interns are also associated with them. At present, they are making more than a dozen items from office use to home decoration. For many customers, they also make customized products according to their demand. Sunny is using social media, retailers, and word of mouth for marketing. Soon they will also market their product on Amazon and Flipkart. He also has tie-ups with many wholesale shops making furniture.
If one wants to make a career in this sector, then he/she has to first understand Plastic Waste Management. You have to understand the process. In this regard, the Central Government and the State Government also conduct training courses. Many private institutes also provide this training. Its training can be taken from the International Institute of Waste Management, Bhopal. Many individuals working in this sector also give training in this.
The central government and state governments are running a campaign regarding plastic management. Plastic waste collection centers have also been built in many cities. Where people get money instead of garbage. Under the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), work is underway on several projects for plastic garbage management in the country.
These days many startups are working on plastic waste. Some are making furniture from it and some are also making fashion-related products from it. Kanika, who hails from Delhi, has recycled more than 360 tonnes of plastic garbage so far. She is making dozens of cosmetic-related products including purses, bags. Due to this, he is earning 50 lakhs annually.
Like and Follow us on :
