Donate your used bed linen and home linen (and not used clothes), which are recycled into quilts by poor urban artisans. While the quilts are provided to those who cannot afford them, the poor artisans are able to better their livelihoods through improved incomes.
Manjul Menon
92431 14425
The paper component which makes up about 75% of the Tetra Pak carton is recycled back into notebooks, cardboard boxes & tissues. The rest which includes polyethylene and aluminum is recycled into furniture, roofing sheets & chipboards.
#21, Ground Floor, MCHS Colony, 5th C Cross, 16th Main, BTM Layout, 2nd Stage, Bangalore 560076
080-4168 9889
This company converts agricultural waste such as paddy & wheat stubble, sugar cane leaves, bagasse and banana plant stems into pulp which then is used to manufacture tableware and packaging material.
686/38/2, Bangalore Mysore Highway, Mayaganahalli Village, Kasaba Hobli,
Bangalore 562128
Women in three villages in the suburbs of Bengaluru, namely, Halasuru, Achalu and Kadahalli earn their livelihood by handcrafting a wide range of decorative or daily-use household items. Every piece of item created at Hosa Belaku is recycled from leftover fabrics, paper, dry waste or scrap metals.
Sarjapur Road, Bangalore 560102
99805 40691
MITU trains women to make bags like mobile and coin pouches, tambula bags, gift envelopes etc. from old clothes like sarees , dupattas, curtains, surplus furnishing catalogues, newspapers etc.
57/2, 1st Floor, 17th Cross, Behind Bun World, Malleswaram, Bangalore 560055
97400 31720
They upcycle fabric waste, old clothes, curtains, jeans, yarn waste into cotton durries, ropes, totes, laptop bags, patchwork furnishings etc. Also upcycle rubber tyres, wood waste and coloured glass.
B304, Balaji Pristine, Whitefield main road, Bengaluru 560006
97419 77556
They upcycle pinewood used in the shipping industry, to provide customers with furniture items like cabinets, cots, shelves, TV stands etc.
91082 99305, 98457 36237
Papermelon collects paper waste such as newspapers, magazines, storybooks, gift wraps, calendars etc and them into pretty jewellery pieces like necklaces, earrings, bracelets and home decor items as well.
Devi Chand
98840 14667
This organization makes paper from elephant poo (waste). This paper is as good as regular paper. Other items made by them out of this paper are bags, notebooks, stationery, coasters, photo frames etc.
011-4162 4486, 98100 71658
Akhil has been creating garments from surplus fishing monofilament yarns. He taps various fishing villages in Mumbai, which have tangled and unusable monofilament yarns in surplus. These tangled bunches are cut up, spectrum dyed and then repurposed as embroidered yarns.
3rd Floor Backside, F213 A, Old MB Rd, Lado Sarai, Delhi 110030
Akhil Nagpal
75069 67917
They source left over or discarded textile from large manufacturers as well as fabrics which are left unused by retailers post-cutting. Creations include upcycled clothing like dresses, shirts, T shirts, tops, bags, stationary, fashion accessories, cushions, rugs & throws etc.
F-301, 3rd floor, Ch. Prem Himmat Singh Marg, Opp Portside Cafe, Lado Sarai, Delhi 110030
93541 38478
Among donated material, Goonj finds un-wearable clothes, torn over-sized jeans, old fabric, obsolete audio tapes, unused ties etc. These are recycled into purse, file folder, carry bag, backpack, mat, jhola etc and sold through the e-commerce route.
Processing Center: Madan Pur Khadar, Near Sunder Public School, Sarita Vihar,
New Delhi.
011-4140 1216, 2697 2351
They pick up wood, fabric, metal junk and convert it into decorative pieces like tea kettles, sculptures, wall art, coasters, notebooks, paintings, cushion covers and coasters.
Maanya Dhar and Riti Jain Dhar
Collect scrap from your doorstep in Delhi and convert it into usable products. Can donate paper, cardboard, plastic, metal, bottles, furniture, old clothes etc.
Vikramjeet Singh Kanwar
97184 72777, 98184 72777
They upcycle recycled plastic bottles to make T-shirts. Plastic bottles are shredded to bits and then sterilised, after which the molten plastic is converted to filaments which are torn into fluff and processed into polyester thread. The T-shirts made with this thread are lighter.
Hosiery Complex, Block B, B-59, Phase-2, Noida 201305
Roshan Baid
0120-493 2200
They use discarded PET bottles to create a range of products for pets such as bedding, toys & accessories. PET bottles are shredded, melted and shaped into pellets which are converted into polyester yarn. The yarn is woven to make the products.
Raghav & Devika Modi
0120-426 5281
This is social enterprise which carefully handpicks beautiful Indian cotton waste fabric to develop a line of simple yet sophisticated rag dolls. Each piece is designed, cut, stitched and embroidered. Made by women Afghan refugees in India.
B133, 1st Floor, Panchsheel Vihar, Malviya Nagar, New Delhi 110017
98185 20802
Ecobrick is a reusable building block made by tightly filling into a PET bottle, plastic generated at home (wrappers, packets). For online or offline sessions on Ecobricks, contact on phone or email.
G 40, Vardhman Market, Phase 3, Sector 3, Dwarka , New Delhi 110078
Rawat Villa, Gali No.8, Opp IDPL City Gate, Geeta Nagar, Rishikesh 429202
Madhukar Varshney 97177 64262
At the Bodh Gaya's Mahabodhi Temple, the flowers used for worship are not thrown out. Colour is extracted from these flowers and dresses prepared by dyeing Khadi are sent out for sale in the market.
Praveen Chauhan
They recycle plastic waste to create roofing sheets, false ceiling boards, floor tiles and paver tiles. These recycled components are assembled to create small houses & offices, kiosks etc. Also recycle tyre waste, agri waste, banana fibre, textile waste, cane & water hyacinth.
4-123/C/1, Padmavathi Colony, Uppal, Hyderabad
Prashant Lingam
Through a de-polymerisation process, plastic waste into diesel, petrol & kerosene. Have capacity to convert 15 tons of plastic waste into 8,000 litres of diesel each month.
B-25, Ashok Nagar Main Rd, Ashok Nagar, Ramachandra Puram,
Hyderabad 502032
Satish Kumar
93484 99922
Used clothes collected from people are sorted, washed, cut and stitched into Infant Baby Kits, bags, pouches, baby bags etc. The infant kits are distributed poor women in maternity wards of Govt hospitals.
345, Gupteshwar Ward, Madan Mahal, Jabalpur 482001
72475 57690, 62630 68084, 79870 57104
Produce papier-mache furniture, which is water-resistant and can withstand the weight up to 80-100 kg. Also create pouches, totes, and box bags using paper textiles.
Spriha Chokhani
97060 36770
They create art works using scrap, waste and discards such as buttons, hairpins, ghungroo, cowries and more.
The Farm, Ajmer Road, Jaipur
Ritu & Surya Singh
98280 23030
This couple, who were honoured by 'Padma Shri' in 2023, create Adivasi tribal dolls from recycled cloth. They have also trained in this craft several women from their village.
Chavkar Mohalla, Rati Tallai, Jhabua (M.P.)
Ramesh Parmar & Shanti Parmar
This is a social enterprise producing shoes made from natural and sustainable materials. For every item that is sold, an equivalent item is donated.
7, Devi Kunj, Civil Lines, Opp. Collector Bungalow, Residence Road, Ratanada, Jodhpur
90790 46593
Collect tons of floral-waste from temples in Uttar Pradesh on a daily basis. These sacred flowers are handcrafted by women flower-cyclers into charcoal-free incense sticks, incense cones, essential oils etc.
Arazi No 428/429, Bhuanti, Pratappur, Kalyanpur, Kanpur 209305
74085 84112
Send an old fabric, a saree or a dupatta and Meghna will upcycle it into a trendy outfit. Based on the fabric and body type of the sender, she sends sketches of the proposed outfit.
Meghna Nayak
98303 51333
Saniya makes cool, quirky upcycled products by upcycling from acrylic, papier-mache and metal.
91633 30334
Hotels in Mumbai donate leftover soap bars which are cleaned, sanitized in concentrated chlorine liquid, crushed and finally cold-pressed to create soap bars. These are distributed to slum-dwellers in Mankhurd, Govandi and Deonar, who are too poor to afford soap.
Flat No 201/203, Bldg No 22, Lallubhai Compound, Mankhurd, Mumbai 400043
82679 67249, 82618 90890
Allow the used cooking oil to cool and strain the left-over particles. Fill the oil in a clean & dry plastic or glass container. Deliver it to their address. Quantity above 20 litres will be picked up for which you need to call the number below.
Collection Center: 27 C/D, Charkop Industrial Estate, Kandivali (W),
Mumbai 400067
93216 25713
Joy upcycles and reconstitutes donated sarees. Palav and borders of different sarees are switched in a complementary manner. Stunning creations result.
Artisans' Centre, 52-56 V B Gandhi Marg, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai 400001
Joy Bimal Roy
93247 32348
Using cardboard recovered from recycling centres and small businesses, Aarambh have created a a portable desk for use by children in classrooms. When it is folded up, the desk converts into a backpack to carry books home. Children without desks in classrooms develop poor posture & eyesight problems.
022-2768 0965, 98206 16940
They create stylish garments for women by using industrial unused textile pieces, dead stocks and sustainable material.
C/225, Shreyas Industrial Estate, Near Jay Coach, Goregaon (East),
Mumbai 400063
81697 42192, 98203 83120
If you have any cloth or textile waste which gets generated regularly contact them. Chindi collects waste cloth from tailoring units & garment manufacturers, which is turned into upcycled bags, rugs, mats, pouches and hair accessories.
Mankhurd, Mumbai
Tanushri Shukla
97696 63363
They recycle plastic bottles into rPET flakes and rPET granules. The flakes are used for packaging, fashion apparel, yarn, strapping, film & resin. The granules are turned into filaments and nonwoven fibres, sheet, strapping etc.
319 Prabhadevi Industrial Estate, V S Marg, Prabhadevi, Mumbai 400025
022-6615 5800
This venture rescues old jeans destined for landfills and upcycles them into utility bags.
Unit no. #6, Gala Udyog Industries, Kailash Commercial Complex, LBS Marg, Opposite Raj Legacy, Vikhroli West, Mumbai 400083
Soumya Kalluri
83690 51021
They recycle discarded shoes & apparel into comfortable footwear, bags, mats and pouches. These are provided to the neediest poor & underprivileged through corporates, NGOs and schools. A part of the footwear produced is also sold to sustain this social venture.
A-460, C/O Ram Fashion Exports, TTC Industrial Are, MIDC Mahape,
Navi Mumbai 400710
Ramesh Dhami & Shriyans Bhandari
87794 84942
Old and discarded sarees are used to create fashionable new upcycled objects like shopping bags, cloth-wrap yoga mat carrier, beaded necklaces, textile jewellery, wraparound garments, home decor products etc.
2nd Innings Handicrafts Pvt Ltd, Unit No 19, Sona Udyog Industrial Estate, Wing 2, Parsi Panchayat Road, Andheri East, Mumbai 400069
Stefano Funari
Paaduks are shoes and sandals for men and women. The soles of this footwear is up-cycled from old, discarded rubber products such as vehicle & truck tires, conveyor belts, rubber mats and so on. Upcycling of discarded rubber to make soles does not involve any chemical processes.
85919 39355
By utilising recycled PET bottles, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) makes R|Elan GreenGold filament yarn that is used to make garments like activewear, denims, formalwear, women’s dresses and tops.
Reliance Industries Pvt Ltd, Reliance Corporate Park, Bldg No 8, B wing, 1st Floor, Thane Belapur Road, Navi Mumbai 400701
89285 24423, 022-7964 1202
Every day 3 to 4 lakh tender coconuts enter Mumbai city & disposal of shells is a major problem. The coconut shell shredding factory has been set up in the compound of BMC's Reay Road crematorium. The tender coconut shells are first shredded and then compressed into briquettes which find use as fuel in place of fossil fuels.
201, Dnyaneshwar Dadasaheb Gaikwad Marg, Mulund (W), Mumbai 400080
Ranjit Shetty
Tetra Paks are recycled into chairs, benches and storage bins for schools and homes.
309, Nav-Vivek Industrial Premises, Mogul Lane. Mahim (W), Mumbai 400016
Monisha Narke
93260 93543, 86898 68744
The firm collects used Army uniforms and turns them into trendy designer laptop bags, backpacks, and handbags with the help of rural women and artisans.
Siddharth and Suchi Jaiswal
Whatsapp: 88287 73764
They buy back silver jewellery and artefacts from their patrons in exchange of new custom pieces equivalent to the silver’s value or a credit note to be redeemed on their e-shop.
Dagina Bazaar, Mumbadevi Rd, Mumbai 400002
Dhaval Palrecha
98926 29267
Sundara takes leftover soap bars from hotels and recycles them into new, hygienic bars of soap. Local women are hired to do this work and the soap is distributed to underprivileged communities. In a month 400 kgs of soap is collected from hotels and that results in 3,000 bars for each of their 3 centres.
Station Rd, Kharegaon, Kalwa, Thane 400605
Kenneth Desouza
They make paper out of cotton waste. This paper is used to create bags, cards, stationery, books, diaries etc.
63, Bombay Samachar Marg, Opposite BSE, Fort, Mumbai 400001
022-6635 8171
Waste such as vinyl records, VCR tapes and CDs which are sourced by them through individual donations and waste aggregators, is converted into quirky lifestyle upcycled objects that are available for sale.
201,Corporate Avenue, Goregaon East, Mumbai 400063
Amishi Shah
70452 25613
Gaury crafts inventive jewellery out of brass and copper industrial waste, stones, leather and waste wood.
Gaury Pathare
98211 94193
They create stunning lifestyle home accessories by re-engineering seemingly useless scrap generated by households and factories. Products: Clocks, photo frames, desk accessories, coasters, trays, tissue boxes etc.
17 Mittal Tower A, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400021
98210 63612, 98290 66508
This initiative is by Bisleri and partners Parisar Bhagini, Sampurna Earth & Dalmia Polypro. The plastic bottles collected are crushed into fine flakes which are then used to create non-edible products like cloth fabric, hand bags, window blinds etc. If your housing society wants to join, fill up the form in the link below.
They convert old clothes into useful products like floor carpet, patti, bags, doormat, chadar, galicha, sataranji etc. Hand over old clothes and get discount on the products mentioned above.
Sanchit Bungalow No.11, Vrindavan Society, Shyam Sundar Society Lane, Near Mhatre Bridge, Navi Peth, Pune 411030
77899 79797, 78880 49202
They accept plastic grocery bags, gift wrappers, old audio/video cassettes. These are cleaned with natural cleaners, sun-dried, cut into thin strips, rolled on a charkha and handloom. The resulting fabric is user to make totes and handbags, pouches and purses, electronic covers, home decor etc.
EcoKaari Workshop, Besides Swarajya Society, NDA Road, Ganpati Matha,
Warje Malwadi, Pune 411058
99109 69297, 90225 60305
They up-cycle, recycle, mend and repair clothing and textiles of all shapes and sizes.
Row House 1, Gold Field Enclave, 397 South Main Road, Koregaon Park,
Pune 411001
Karishma Shahani Khan
98811 68999
Create stylish Indian footwear for women by recycling discarded and scrapped truck tyres. Items include Kolhapuris, Mojris, sandals, and even heels.
21/1, Ground Floor, Shajanand Society, Near Mahatma Society, Kothrud,
Pune 411038
Pooja Apte
92846 10977
Donate plastic waste plastic like polythene bags to them. This waste plastic is converted into handcrafted fabric, uses the traditional Charkha and handloom. The fabric is used to make handbags, fashion accessories etc.
Shri Ramkrushna Niwas, Sridhar Colony, Cummins College Road, Karve Nagar, Pune 411052
82751 75567, 95299 70579
Plastic scrap is converted into ˜Polyfuel" (equivalent to Kerosene) which is supplied to villagers for use as fuel as an eco-friendly alternative to firewood. Households may store plastic scrap like milk bags, oil bags, food bags, plastic containers, carry bags, PET bottles, plastic buckets, bubble wraps etc and the contact person listed below will collect it from you regularly.
OM Bunglow, Lane No 2 Swpna Mandir Society, 24/2, Vakil Nagar, Erandwane, Pune 411004.
020-2544 8900, 93730 53235
They start with banana leaves and subject them to cellular technology as a result of which the leaves are preserved with natural green color for 1 year and upto 3 years without its natural color. Products made are banana leaf plates, cups, envelopes and boxes.
Tenith Innovations Pvt Ltd, 20/25 B, Nadar Street, Watrap, Virudhunagar Dist. 626132, Tamil Nadu
94439 62244, 82202 23397
Long stems of 'Water Hyacinth', an invasive weed which chokes lakes & backwaters, are dried and pith is removed by peeling the stems. It is then dyed and woven in looms to make bags, purses, tablemats etc.
KIDS Campus, Kottapuram, Kodungallur, Dist.Thrissur 680667
94469 95834, 0480-280 3165, 280 7638
Discarded glass is upcycled into beautiful glass products like planters, vases, mini bottles, lockets, gift sets, bar accessories etc.
The Wonky Studio, H / 11, BIDC, Gorwa, Vadodara 390016
94267 89935, 0265-228 0300
Discarded masks and PPE kits are converted into bricks that are far stronger than conventional bricks.
12-A, Girdhar Chambers, Kacheri Road, Valsad 396001
Binish Desai
90990 30117
Do you have discarded items which the above organisations are using to make upcycled products? Get in touch with them and donate the needed items.
Wish to replicate above upcycling mini-projects in your city? Obtain requisite information from the concerned parties.
Possess an idea for used goods to be turned into upcycled objects? Post your query here for assistance from others.
Came across any needy person or organisation who will benefit from upcycled goods? Bring it to the attention of the upcycling organisations.
Have queries, assistance requests or feedback on this subject? Your response, sent by email or through 'Submit Feedback' form above, will be posted here.
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It's possible to upcycle discarded goods into useful products…
At homes we discard old sarees and lehengas, torn jeans, used bed linen, old spectacles, old vinyl records, worn-out shoes, plastic scrap and the like. At garment manufacturers and tailoring units waste textile scrap, clothing waste and leftover fabric get discarded. In hotels, partially used soap bars get leftover when guests check-out. Similar is the case with other business establishments where waste of some kind or other always gets generated.
Most of the waste can be upcycled to create useful products of value such as upcycled furniture, clothing, bags, crafts, products, goods and objects. This is an opportunity for all of us to do our bit for planet earth. Upcycling is defined as the process of transforming waste materials and unwanted products into useful new materials and products.
Donate unwanted items to organisations carrying out upcycling…
It is true that not everything can be recycled or upcycled. Yet, before you throw anything away, really think about how you can support upcycling in creative and innovative ways. To do so, you can get in touch with those carrying out upcycling and offer to donate waste which may be of interest to them.
Some of the upcycling success stories are listed in ‘Whom Can You Contact?’ section below. You will note quilts being created from from used bedsheets, cooking fuel from plastic scrap, soap bars from leftover soap and spectacles from old frames. ‘Turn trash into treasure’ need not be an empty slogan. It can provide a new orientation towards sustainable, ecological living!