When creativity and technology combine to solve the waste problem to ensure a sustainable environment, the adage ‘one’s garbage is another’s wealth’ seems to be becoming a reality. Bhutanese civil society is running a campaign or project called ‘Clean Bhutan’, which will recycle the bottles people throw away to make sustainable beautiful pillows and blankets. This project is now ongoing.
According to Bhutan Live, according to the ‘National Trash Inventory Survey 2019’, 172 metric tons of solid waste is dumped in the country every day. A large part of these wastes can be recycled or reused. Because 33 percent of these wastes are plastic and paper.
These bottles are the first to be collected by the organizers of the ‘Clean Bhutan’ campaign, which are then dumped on the ground or in the river. The bottles are then cleaned and cut into small pieces.
Clean Bhutan executive director Nedup Tshering told Bhutan Live, “We tear these bottles and find a solution for the caps as well. We are looking for equipment that can be used to use the caps to fuel the reactors.”
“We are selling some of these shredded bottles to companies like Green Road, who use them to make eco-friendly plastic roads,” he said.
The ‘Clean Bhutan’ initiative is looking for donors to buy a machine to make fiber wool from them. Through that equipment, the broken material of the bottle can be melted and turned into fiber, from which yarn can be made. The bottles can also be used to make polyester yarn.
