Ghaziabad Sees A Successful Effort To Take Care Of Discarded Flex Boards

New Delhi/Ghaziabad: Flex boards installed in public places normally end up as piles of garbage in landfill sites adding to the problem of solid waste. But a woman in Ghaziabad is trying to convert this significant challenge of environmental hazard into an opportunity. Kajal Chhibber, founder of Saathi Foundation, has been working to reuse the disposed of flex boards.

Her colleagues initially experimented with making bags from used flex boards banking on their strength and durability. The discarded flex boards were cut into various shapes, cleaned as needed and then stitched into bags. This small experiment has now transformed into a major campaign for environmental protection.

The Foundation earlier faced the challenge of collecting ample quantities of flex. It raised the issue with the local Municipal Corporation that began providing Saathi Foundation with flex boards that had outlived their utility and were lying around as garbage. This led to the acceleration of the campaign and the flex being collected and recycled.

To further streamline the campaign, the Foundation also contacted advertising agencies that install and remove flex boards around the city. A system was developed to collect and deliver these flexes directly to the Foundation. This ensured the organization received a steady supply of used flexes enabling them to be converted into useful products rather than being scattered around as waste.

Kajal believes that simply spreading awareness about environmental protection isn't enough. Instead, by developing practical and useful alternatives to waste, concrete steps can be taken to protect the environment.

While the bags were being produced in large numbers, the next challenge was to reach as many people as possible and spread the message of environmental protection. The Foundation organized camps in crowded areas where these bags were distributed for free and people were told about the entire idea behind the initiative.

On an average, it costs Rs 10 to Rs 12 to produce a bag, but the Foundation distributes them for free with the goal to spread the message of environmental protection to as many people as possible.

Another aspect of Kajal's initiative is that around 35 women work at the organization's sewing centre as well as from their homes to cut and sew the flex into bags.

The initiative has been going on since 2022. According to Kajal, “More than one lakh bags made from around 50,000 flexes have been made and distributed. The most important thing that accompanies the bag is the message of environmental protection! When a person uses this bag, a thought about environmental protection develops within them.”

The Foundation doesn't limit its bags to crowded market areas; it also distributes them through camps in schools and during various government programmes. In addition, special campaigns are also held in slums.

Kajal said, “If people use a strong bag instead of separate bags for each item when shopping in the market, the consumption of polythene can be reduced to a great extent.” The Foundation does not want to limit this campaign to Ghaziabad but plans to expand it to the national level. “We are planning to start an online drive. We want people from different parts of the country to send us flex in large quantities and in return we will make bags and send them back,” said Kajal.

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