Upcycling socks: Sock quilt

All of us have been in the situation of hunting for a missing sock. I for one do not feel at peace until I have searched everywhere – the washing machine, the laundry bin, the clothes line and the cupboards – until my socks are reunited. Given that I am not always successful, you can imagine that I must be quite a disturbed soul – once every month at least, if research findings are to go by!

A study by Samsung in 2016 (you can read the details here) reveals that “we each lose an average of 1.3 socks per month – accounting for more than 15 socks per year and 1,264 over a lifetime”. Though this study was done in Britain, it could well apply to any country where people wear socks.

So what does one do with the single socks?

Waste Management Diaries – 4 (EPS)

Our new refrigerator is arriving, and with it we can be sure of something else – Thermocol as voluminous as the fridge itself. Not so long ago, lunch at the food court meant eating off a Styrofoam plate. What really is Thermocol and Styrofoam?

Thermocol waste being accumulated

What is Thermocol/Styrofoam?

Thermocol and Styrofoam are brand names – the former by BASF and the latter by Dow Chemicals.

Waste Management Diaries – 3 (Clothes)

“I’ve always thought of myself as someone who cares about the environment. I’ve recycled for as long as I can remember, I’m on my way to having a plastic-free kitchen and I always try to take public transport instead of driving. But until last year I was guilty of unknowingly contributing to 1m tonnes of waste a year, more carbon emissions than the shipping and aviation industries combined, and microplastics ending up in the ocean – just by buying new clothes.” – Radhika Sanghani, writer (Read the article here.)

Clothes. We get, we use, and then we give or throw away.

Give or throw away could happen for many reasons such as…
– the article no longer fits (we have grown)
– the article is not fit to be worn by us anymore (faded, stained, worn-out, torn, broken buckle, etc.)
– we do not use it (it was bought on impulse or an undesired gift)
– we do not have space to keep it (we have more than we need)
– we are just bored with it (we’ve worn it a few times already).

Our society receives a variety of personal clothes on a daily basis. Some are deposited in the collection bins kept for the purpose, some are left by residents outside their doors along with the dry waste, and some are picked up from miscellaneous locations (most likely left by helpers who took the things given by their bosses but actually did not want them).

WPXX Waste Management Diaries – 1 (Tetra Paks)

Waste Management. This is a hot topic at Whispering Palms Xxclusives CHS, Kandivali East, Mumbai (WPXX),  these days, and one would not be wrong in attributing this majorly to the society’s composting efforts.

While interacting with residents over the past several weeks it has been most fulfilling to note that there are many who are aware that we are responsible for the mess we have created in our country and we have to try to set things right. There are many though, who still feel that they have no role to play, oblivious of the gravity of the waste situation, some relying on their good fortune to buy them out if the need arises.

The society was pushed to start managing its waste in an organised manner, through segregation at source, by MCGM’s 2017 notification. All credit to the MC and members of WPXX for taking strong steps to ensure compliance. In November 2017, we formed an informal team of waste management volunteers comprising of residents who felt they had the time and the inclination to implement the waste segregation guidelines developed for the society. It is this group that laid the foundation of the solid waste management system we have in place.

Customised CapMagnets

By this time, on the night of 22nd February 2015, Bark N Bond‘s Pet Camp on the outskirts of Mumbai must have ended. And I do hope the pet parents, as Pranita calls them, are delighted with the little souvenirs that they are carrying home. Pranita Balar is a “certified Canine Consultant and Dognition Evaluator” who trains dogs, and is the organiser of the novel weekend getaways for families with dogs. About 25 dogs were expected at this weekend’s pet camp, held with the theme”Valentines”.

The souvenirs for the pet parents were specially made to order, by CapsToKeep.

A Large Scale Composting Model

When segregating the wet waste from the dry becomes a habit (to the extent that soiled boxes, plastic packets and tetra packs also are cleaned/ rinsed and dried before going into the dry bin), it becomes difficult put all the waste into one dustbin, while visiting hotels and other homes. Often I’m tempted to carry my trash back to ensure it is handled appropriately. During a recent visit to Pune though, there was no such temptation. The friends we visited live in a large apartment complex called Camellia on the Baner-Pashan Link Road (about 300 apartments), and here segregation of the household waste at source is mandatory.