Recycled Paper Packets reducing Pollution'

Poor women in the Hooghly District work from their homes, earning for the family. These illiterate & semi-literate women belonged to the villages in the Hooghly District. They live below the poverty line and it was noticed that with certain training they would prove to be useful in the manufacturing of recycled paper bags and other products. It would also be helpful for them as they would be able to put their earnings to better use such as household expenses, school fees for their children, to build assets etc.

Plastic, although considered as one of the greatest inventions by virtue of its use in carrying things has become a major element in polluting the environment. It is almost impossible to destroy plastic bags. Plastic bags remain in the soil for centuries, defiling the soil, preventing it from replenishing its nutrients, and rendering to barren. This ultimately results in fertile land becoming barren and turning into desert. It is estimated that the life expectancy of plastic bags is around 250 years.

According to ‘People’s Participation’, recycled paper bags would prove to be a feasible alternative for polyethylene bags. Newspapers are made of recycled paper. Once they become outdated, they are of no use to the people and they choose to sell it to the ‘street purchasers’ who keep the paper in the recycling chain loop. To put these newspapers to better use, it would be a feasible option to make carry bags out of them before they can be recycled. By using newspaper to create bags it is putting economic value to an otherwise useless piece of paper. Newspaper bags are preferred as they are cheaper than cloth bags which are not affordable for majority of the population. The process of manufacturing the recycled papers is eco-friendly. ‘People’s Participation’ will engage poor women from different slums and villages from Hooghly District, West Bengal, India. The paper bags are capable of carrying weight load of about two kilograms to six kilograms depending on the size of these bags with an affordable price range of Rs. 3 to 6. The bags are durable and one bag can be used for up to 30 cycles of use. Besides protecting the environment from plastic waste and promoting local businesses, they aim to provide sustainable livelihoods for poor women in the area.

Training to hard-working women from the villages and providing them with the skills to manufacture high quality products is their way to ensure that goodwill spreads through all sections of society. These women will earn an income of Rs. 3000-4000 per month by self. They work towards making cities of India free from plastic carry bags. Their clients include local pharmacies, restaurants, small shops, etc. Restaurants are their main clients. Their customers have gradually reduced their plastic carry bag consumption and are opting for paper bags.

Many State Governments have imposed or going to impose a ban on thin plastic carry bags and is likely to extend it to all the plastic carry bags, since they are bound to create health hazards. Eco-friendly paper carry bag is the only alternative. Since there is lot of demand, paper bag making will certainly be a provider of self-employment.

Recycled newspaper bags/packets provide a clean, safe, and eco-friendly alternative. Made of 100 per cent biodegradable material – old newspaper bags, jute twine, and flour-based adhesive Eco-friendly paper carry bag can bear a stronger load than conventional bags. Two layers of used newspaper are pasted together with a thin piece of rope in an innovative design, resulting in a bag that can carry 2.5 kilograms. The durable and reusable bags can be mass-produced by self-help groups in common facility centres, and then sold to the public.

Market potential:  Due to the increasing awareness of the hazards of plastic bags to the environment among the public and the ban imposed on plastic bags throughout India and abroad by the governments, there is a great demand for eco-friendly paper bags. The Eco-friendly Paper bag manufacturing industry is poised for a higher growth with a bright future.

Barriers :

• It was difficult to convince people to switch to paper bags from plastic bags in the initial phases of the business. This problem will only be addressed if people become environmentally conscious.
• The demand of paper bags becomes uncertain during monsoon seasons, which affects their business.
• Although the manufacturing quality has been standardized by them, sometimes the products fail to meet these standards which may result in late delivery of the products.

Helping people: Production of Eco-friendly paper carry bag provides a sustainable source of income that producers, mostly poor women, can use to support themselves and their families. Reducing plastic waste and conserving natural resources through recycling, helps the community as a whole. As a result, these communities have become more aware of environmental issues.

People’s Participation, an NGO working for the deprived group of people in West Bengal, India for last 17 years with success. We planned to work with this poorer rural and semi urban women to support their livelihood through training, mfg and linkage as well as protect the larger environment from Plastic Packets.

 In present day, women are living their old traditional business who living in peri-urban areas of Chanditala Block-II and Dankuni Municipality. Most of women in the age group of 16 to 35 are engaging as ‘Domestic Help’ in urban areas, due to availability of developed transpiration system. 16 to 35 years women also working in small factories within Dankuni and adjacent localities. But the problems are arises with those aged 36+ and above unemployed women in this locality. They are no more interested to work outside for modest earning; but wish to earn in home based jobs. Most women in these areas are engaged with ‘Domestic Help, Cook, Aaya, factory workers, hotel & restaurants, shop keepers, sales women, sewing job and other unorganised establishments’. Many women are engaging in ‘Sex Trade’ especially within Covid-19 pandemic who/family lost employments. 

 The slum dwelling women are most negligible among their society. Their level of education is below in standard. Early age of marriage, giving birth of many children, long working hours and hard work and low wages are common features of them. In Chanditala Block-II along with Dankuni Municipality, only 28.53% women have passed Madhyamik (secondary) examination. If their social status is analysed, it is observed that 89.35% women got married before twenty years of their age, 40.90% women are mother of more than three children. Aged women don’t get proper food; proper treatment and they also have to do work to earn money for their family. In the study area, there are also many social problems like dowry system, consumption of alcohol, torture on women etc.  Rapid unplanned urbanization, rural-urban migration in search of jobs, overcrowding, and problems of housing create slum area which is a striking feature in almost every Indian cities. In slum area, normally the socio economic status is poor in nature. But in developing countries like India where gender gap exists in almost every parts of society, it becomes necessary to highlight specially the socio-economic status of slum dwelling women as they are almost neglected among their society. So the information presents here to reveal the socio- economic status of slum dwelling women as well as to highlight the threats and challenges that exist among their life.

Poor women in the Hooghly District work from their homes, earning for the family. These illiterate & semi-literate women belonged to the villages in the Hooghly District. They live below the poverty line and it was noticed that with certain training they would prove to be useful in the manufacturing of recycled paper bags and other products.

According to ‘People’s Participation’, recycled paper bags would prove to be a feasible alternative for polyethylene bags. Newspapers are made of recycled paper. To put these newspapers to better use, it would be a feasible option to make carry bags out of them before they can be recycled. By using newspaper to create bags it is putting economic value to an otherwise useless piece of paper. Newspaper bags are preferred as they are cheaper than cloth bags which are not affordable for majority of the population. The process of manufacturing the recycled papers is eco-friendly. Besides protecting the environment from plastic waste and promoting local businesses, they aim to provide sustainable livelihoods for poor women in the area. These women will earn an income of Rs. 5000 ($70 to $100) per month by self. They work towards making cities of India free from plastic carry bags.

• Newspaper bags lower processing and capital costs.
• Newspapers bags help to turn the organic waste into super quality compost that can be returned to the community.
• Newspaper can replace most of the plastic products that is not even decomposable.
• Newspaper bags are biodegradable and do not pollute the environment as the plastic bags do.

Recycled newspaper bags/packets not only recycle material that would be going to waste, they also eliminate the need for single-use plastic bags that have proven to harm the environment. Made from petroleum, plastic bags fuel extraction of fossil resources. They also present a serious disposal problem. It takes centuries for plastics bag to break down in nature, burning those releases poisonous chemicals, and in oceans, plastic trash harms a number of marine species. Non-toxic Eco-friendly paper carry bag, on the other hand, conserve the environment by harmlessly biodegrading after numerous uses.

Production of Eco-friendly paper carry bag provides a sustainable source of income that producers, mostly poor women, can use to support themselves and their families. Reducing plastic waste and conserving natural resources through recycling, helps the community as a whole. As a result, these communities have become more aware of environmental issues.

We became success in our self funding project on livelihood through Mfg and marketing of recycled newspaper packets. So, we are searching a good and strong partner to work together to support more than 300 such poor women in this post Covid situation.

Primarily we need monetary supports for the cause.

Plastic, although considered as one of the greatest inventions by virtue of its use in carrying things has become a major element in polluting the environment. It is almost impossible to destroy plastic bags. Plastic bags remain in the soil for centuries, defiling the soil, preventing it from replenishing its nutrients, and rendering to barren. This ultimately results in fertile land becoming barren and turning into desert. It is estimated that the life expectancy of plastic bags is around 250 years.

Paper comes from trees; but there's still a long way to go before we lose our dependence on this very important human product. From our newspapers to our paper wrappings, paper is still everywhere and most of them are ending up in our landfills creating a staggering amount of paper waste. The advantages of recycling paper include saving energy, water and landfill space. Paper recycling reduces greenhouse gas emissions and the recycled fibre is a sustainable, cost-saving resource for making new paper products.

Spill over effect: This project could be applied among India’s sizeable population of underemployed women working in informal sectors. Setting up an Eco-friendly paper carry bag workshop requires little resources, and production can be scaled up or down as needed.

Goals of the program:

• Reduce poverty in the community and help the women have other sources of income
• Promote recycling,  clean environment by reducing the amount of paper waste in the community
• Reduce plastic carry bags

We will use Log Frame methods, regular measurement through monitoring the project. Mid term evaluation will help us to measure the success and/or failure the project; which will help us to modify some activities and planning.

Many State Governments have imposed or going to impose a ban on thin plastic carry bags and is likely to extend it to all the plastic carry bags, since they are bound to create health hazards. Eco-friendly paper carry bag is the only alternative. Since there is lot of demand, paper bag making will certainly be a provider of self-employment.

Training to hard-working women from the villages and providing them with the skills to manufacture high quality products is their way to ensure that goodwill spreads through all sections of society. These women will earn an income of Rs. 3000-4000 per month by self. They work towards making cities of India free from plastic carry bags. Their clients include local pharmacies, restaurants, small shops, etc. Restaurants are their main clients. Their customers have gradually reduced their plastic carry bag consumption and are opting for paper bags.

The solution:  Recycled newspaper bags/packets provide a clean, safe, and eco-friendly alternative. Made of 100 per cent biodegradable material – old newspaper bags, jute twine, and flour-based adhesive Eco-friendly paper carry bag can bear a stronger load than conventional bags. Two layers of used newspaper are pasted together with a thin piece of rope in an innovative design, resulting in a bag that can carry 2.5 kilograms. The durable and reusable bags can be mass-produced by self-help groups in common facility centres, and then sold to the public.

Market potential:  Due to the increasing awareness of the hazards of plastic bags to the environment among the public and the ban imposed on plastic bags throughout India and abroad by the governments, there is a great demand for eco-friendly paper bags. The Eco-friendly Paper bag manufacturing industry is poised for a higher growth with a bright future.

This project is very much based on Indian Traditional home based livelihood; but after introduced of plastic packets in the larger market this huge home based industry was silent. But in present many State Governments have imposed or going to impose a ban on thin plastic carry bags and is likely to extend it to all the plastic carry bags, since they are bound to create health hazards. Eco-friendly paper carry bag is the only alternative. Since there is lot of demand, paper bag making will certainly be a provider of self-employment.

Due to the increasing awareness of the hazards of plastic bags to the environment among the public and the ban imposed on plastic bags throughout India and abroad by the governments, there is a great demand for eco-friendly paper bags. The Eco-friendly Paper bag manufacturing industry is poised for a higher growth with a bright future.

Primarily it has planned to prepare them all to be self-employed rather than job. We are targeting to networking with those businessmen as after completion of the training programme (or in the middle of the training programme) ‘Businessmen & Trainee’ meeting to know each –other and share their thoughts like campus interview model.

This is a free of cost livelihood support programme for the deprived rural poor women who/families lost their livelihood support within Covid pandemic. Most of them used earn a small income to support their families; but in Covid all they lost their income opportunities. They are now living in very hard financial conditions and wish to start any self-employment business. So, we have plan to train them ' how to mfg. paper packets from old newspapers' and its marketing to be sustain their business and livelihood; as well as plastic carry bags will be non-usable in the larger society. People are cautious against using of plastic carry bags but they does not have any alternative option to ban plastic carry bags. Paper packets will be the option for the general people. Those poor women will be trained, linked with larger market and agents, small loan will be collect from Local ULB/Municipalities/Panchayatas and sustainability of business will be establish without anyone's support.

This is a free of cost livelihood support programme for the deprived rural poor women who/families lost their livelihood support within Covid pandemic. Most of them used earn a small income to support their families; but in Covid all they lost their income opportunities. They are now living in very hard financial conditions and wish to start any self-employment business. So, we have plan to train them ' how to mfg. paper packets from old newspapers' and its marketing to be sustain their business and livelihood; as well as plastic carry bags will be non-usable in the larger society. People are cautious against using of plastic carry bags but they does not have any alternative option to ban plastic carry bags. Paper packets will be the option for the general people. Those poor women will be trained, linked with larger market and agents, small loan will be collect from Local ULB/Municipalities/Panchayatas and sustainability of business will be establish without anyone's support.

Most of the beneficiaries’ are engaged with different money lending Groups of small banks. Many of engaged with NULM (Self Help Groups) Groups with local Municipalities.And the produced 'recycled newspaper packets will be sale' in the larger high potential market. And within one year all trained women beneficiaries will be established by self employment. In present days there are few supplier of paper packets in larger markets but demands are high.

11 trained women learned the technique to Mfg & Marketing' of recycled newspaper packets; and selling their items to the larger open markets directly; they are earning $ 120 to $150 in a month; but their finish still not good enough.