The paper you throw goes somewhere, and that is where it gets trapped. It goes to landfills and, after some time, becomes waste. Instead of wasting those papers, why not recycle them to create a new product out of it? Recycling has been a way to reduce waste and reproduce new products. Using recycled paper, in particular, is an effective way to minimize environmental damage and save resources. It is a way to create a livelihood out of trash, and through this method, one can achieve sustainable development without hurting the environment. Anyone can do recycling, and it only takes one single idea to make it possible.
The country of India generates millions of tons of garbage each day, creating significant challenges for its people. However, by recognizing the potential in waste, individuals can turn it into a source of livelihood. This is exactly how the Earth5R team envisioned a project focused on sustainable development through recycling. It’s not just about generating ideas but about turning those ideas into impactful actions. One such initiative was conducting a workshop on creating products from recycled paper.
The Earth5R team organized a paper bag-making workshop in Powai, Mumbai, for new interns from various countries, including Andrea Fung from Peru, Safiya Tyebally and Qiaomei Lee from Singapore, Jersey Austria from the Philippines, and Libby Ballou and Ian Haave from the USA. Danielle Grew from the UK also joined the team via AIESEC Navi Mumbai. During this session, the interns learned to transform old newspapers into paper bags and craft eco-friendly glue, which is both sustainable and affordable. The training was led by Sunny Singh from India, and other participants included Sanchit Soni from Bilaspur, Bharati Marathe, Jahaan Gupta, Sharad Vegda, and Saurabh Gupta from Mumbai.
The workshop emphasized the versatility of recycled paper, demonstrating that it can be repurposed in countless creative ways. The paper bags created during the session highlighted how recycled paper can be a practical solution for boutiques, stores, and other businesses worldwide. The beauty of this initiative lies in its simplicity—anyone with a creative mindset can contribute to reducing waste and promoting eco-friendly practices through recycled paper. By focusing on such sustainable projects, Earth5R continues to inspire communities to rethink waste and take meaningful steps toward environmental conservation.
The process of creating a paper bag through recycling is very simple and the materials needed can be found anywhere. This could beneficial to everyone. It can create a livelihood while helping alleviate trashes. Creating a paper bag out of recyclable materials is one of the best things one can do to help lessen the numbers of papers being thrown to the dump sites. Through this, they can create their own paper bags from different types of recycled papers.
Interns getting their hands on bag making
The new interns first learned the art of creating their very own eco-friendly glue. The glue they used was made from flour. These flours are used to create chapatti and roti; and it’s very accessible to everybody. It can easily be bought and seen anywhere in India. And the best thing about using flour, as the main ingredient, is that it’s very cheap.
Who would’ve thought that flour can become an ingredient in creating glue? The process was very simple; all you need is to stir the flour in boiling water and wait until it becomes really thick. And after sometime, they waited for it to cool down so it can be used as glue for the paper bags.
Team learning how to make chemical free home made glue.
Now that they have created the glue, the next thing they’ll need is a paper. After creating the glue, they then proceeded to the paper bag making workshop. The interns learned the process of creating paper bags from the earth5r trainer. He thought them the step by step process. They used old newspapers to create a paper bag. They used some old newspapers for the workshop, but any paper can do the work.
Recycling old newspapers is one of the best materials one can use. It will help lessen the garbage’s thrown to the dumps and it will help create shopping bags more eco-friendly. The process of making a newspaper is very simple; it just needs a scissor, glue, and a paper.
After learning the step by step process they then proceeded to create their very own recycled paper bags.The new interns then created several paper bags made of newspaper. And after they’ve mastered the technique, they then created a paper bag out of brown hard eco-friendly papers. The interns have created paper bags out of newspapers and brown eco-papers. And afterwards, they signed it with their names and messages. The paper bags they’ve made are going to be used as packaging for yeti soaps.
The interns learned how to create the bags by working together. It ignited the teamwork within them. They helped each other get the work done through team work. They didn’t just learn the art of creating a paper bag, they also learned the importance of recycling and how it can benefit everyone.
The workshop is not just about learning how to create a paper bag, but it created a new knowledge and awareness among the new interns. The things that they learned will be taught to the people living in slum areas. The aim of the project is to help the people see the importance of recycling and to help them create a livelihood out of it.
Happy and satisfied!
-Reported by Ma. Jersey May P. Austria
