Entrepreneurs Transforming Waste Into Cash, Making Seed-Embedded Idols, Many More
“Our eco-friendly paper doesn’t cause eye strain and eliminates exposure to the bleach found in regular paper, which can harm internal organs,” Jain explained.
Visakhapatnam: Plastic bottles are transformed into decorative fridge magnets, discarded clothing becomes elegant jewellery, and cow dung evolves into seed-embedded religious idols that bloom into trees. The entrepreneurs are redefining the concept of waste — turning discarded items into valuable, sustainable products. The innovative recycling ventures, operating in collaboration with the state government’s SwarnaAndhra Vision 2047, are demonstrating that waste materials like glass bottles, used clothes, and single-use plastics can be turned into decorative items, jewelleries, artifacts, toys, and eco-friendly products.
Malladi Umabala, a civil engineering graduate, has revolutionised the traditional idol-making industry. Her company, operating under the name Punarapu, creates idols using cow dung embedded with seeds that transform into trees when immersed.
“When people immerse our idols, they’re not just completing a ritual — they’re planting a tree,” she explained. The larger idol is priced at `400, while smaller one cost `50. She operates online without a physical store. Malladi has expanded internationally, exporting eco-friendly products abroad.
The product range extends beyond idols to include agarbattis (incense sticks), dhoop sticks, rakhis, and diyas.
Another entrepreneur Shalini Pedada’s Waste Connect has been aiding to recycled economy in a big way. Dikshita, a worker of the company talking to this correspondent, said that the company makes matching jewellery pieces, dresses, sarees from discarded clothing as well as necklace sets and earrings.
“We’re showing that waste can’t be end of a product, it can be transformed into something beautiful,” she noted.
On the other, collaborative efforts between three friends have resulted in formation of three companies across different parts of the country. Hitesh Jain operates MAATI INDIA in Andhra Pradesh, Ashutosh runs Rescript in Mumbai, and Renuksha manages Jalebi in Southern India.
MAATI INDIA specialises in cow dung paper products, supplying identity cards, notebooks, and greeting cards to colleges. The 72-hour- process of converting dung into pulp results in paper that is not only eco-friendly but also healthier for users.
“Our eco-friendly paper doesn’t cause eye strain and eliminates exposure to the bleach found in regular paper, which can harm internal organs,” Jain explained. While the eco-friendly option costs 5% more than conventional paper, the health and environmental benefits justify the price difference.
The Jalebi company takes sustainability a step further with their 15-day paper-making process. Their calendar and reminder sheets incorporate five different seed varieties like strawberry, chilli, tomato, coriander, and mint ensuring that when the paper is eventually composted, it yields edible plants.