Ghaziabad based venture designs school furniture and other utilities from Plastic Waste
Extruded plastic tables, a table-cum-lamp, tree guards and other sculptures are some utility goods designed by SarfarazSakshi Innovation Private Limited, the Ghaziabad duo Sakshi, a Madhubani painter & Sarfaraz, an industrial designer have been working with state govt to create sculptures and tables for schools and Anganwadis in UP.
Imagine everything we threw away can be reproduced in a new item of daily use. The pioneering designers use their expertise and art to create products made from waste.
After graduating college in 2011, the two worked in wedding planning until 2017 where they noticed what a menace plastic waste was.
They launched SarfarazSakshi Innovation Private Limited in 2018 — which has recycled 150 tonnes of plastic so far. The products are made from the combination of acrylics with sand, marble, wood, light, etc. Besides this they have also designed benches, tables, and more for schools and Anganwadis in UP.
After getting in touch with scrap collectors (Kabadiwalas)) they got to know that plastic waste is left to singe with hazardous smoke afterwards. The problem with the current way of melting plastic is that when it burns, it produces a lot of smoke, which is detrimental for us all.
In 2018, he designed a machine that can compress plastic without melting it. He claims his machine melts without causing harm to the environment by giving a minimum heat of 60-70 degrees Celsius.
In 2018, the duo designed a 380 kg logo of Swacch Bharat Mission, which is displayed in Nagar Nigam in Ghaziabad. They did this by using 200 kg of polythene waste.
Their works also included sculptures like the “world’s largest charkha” in Noida, boards made from plastic waste located across Ghaziabad, and more.
They started making benches and chairs to serve as a living example of how waste can be turned into productive items. Then they went on making other utilities like tree guards, planters, wall clocks, murals, table lamps, etc.
The artists currently only work with local and state governments, they first collect plastic waste from local bodies and dump yards in and around Ghaziabad. Then, their team of six segregates the waste, depending on colour and quality of the plastic.
The artists only charge a processing fee to convert the plastic, they say. They collect waste from the municipalities and give it back to them as chairs and tables for Anganwadis as well as benches in schools.They did a pilot project for an Anganwadi in Bhojpur village in 2021, for which they made 14 furniture items including chairs and tables.
The furniture was shaped in the teddy bears, ducks and horses to entertain from plastic waste in fun shapes like for the children. They say Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also appreciated this project and the company is in talks with Anganwadis across the state.
“We have also done a project in a school where we made eco-friendly furniture. These feel just like wooden furniture without having to cut trees, and are cheaper for the government. While a wooden two-seater bench is sold at Rs 6,500, we sell ours at Rs 5,500,” as per Sarfaraz.
They have not patented either of their machines, as they wish for them to be used for the public good. Ther work also garnered praise from the UNDP and signed a project with them.
