Raksha Bandhan 2018: This Rakhi Ditch The Usual Gifts From Market And Upcycle To Go Green

New Delhi: The festival of Raksha Bandan which literally means ‘bond of protection’ celebrates the special bond between a brother and sister where a sister ties a sacred thread called rakhi on their brothers’ wrists in return of a promise from the brother of their protection for life. The celebration is followed by exchange of gifts among siblings. Amidst the celebrations, the waste generated in the form of gift boxes, rakhis with plastic beads or damage being to the environment by plastic gift wrappers are not areas of focus, though these should be.

Also Read: Make A Green Choice This Raksha Bandhan, Opt For Rakhis That Turn Into Plants

Opt for upcycling and create gifts for your loved ones. Here are some gifting ideas-

For The Quirky One:

Trash to gift: Use egg shells to make a quirky gift for your quirky sibling

In every family there is that one person who loves out of the box gifts and does everything differently. This rakhi give them their kind of gift and grab all the attention.

What To Do: Take egg shells and rinse them well. Ensure there is no egg white in it else your gift will stink and obviously you don’t want that. Simply paint them and draw different emoticons on it, describing variant moods of your sibling. To pack it up, keep it in a foldable egg tray.

Also Read: Free India From Trash: 5 Smart Ways To Upcycle Waste Into Things Of Daily Utility

For The DIY Artist

Image Credit: Pinterest
Use those old tyres and make a comfortable seat for the ‘DIY artist’

No matter how easily things from all around the world are accessible with a click of a mouse, there are some people who like to make things on their own. They are known as the ‘DIY Artist’ in the family. From birthdays, to anniversaries, they have a DIY gift for every occasion. It is time you do some DIY and treat them with an upcycled seat made using tyre.

How To Do: Take an old tyre and either paint it or simply wrap some jute string with the help of glue. For the seat, take help from the carpenter and get a circle cut out from plywood. Remember, the size of the seat will depend on the size of the tire. Take an old bedsheet or a cushion cover or any cloth to use it as a cover of the seat. Now simply staple the cover on each side of the circle and parallely stuff cotton. In the end, tightly pull the cover and stick it on the back of the circle. Your seat is ready!

Also Read: DIY: How To Upcycle Thermocol Tableware That You Ditch For Eco-Friendly Options

For The Accessory Hoarder

Image Credit: Pinterest
DIY organiser box and help your accessory hoarder sibling organise their accessories

Think of that sibling whom you look up to for all your last minute accessory requirements. This rakhi make him/her feel special by providing an upcycled accessory organiser.

How To Do: Take old cardboard box, remove the flaps, but keep them with you because in DIY, nothing goes to waste. Cover the cardboard box and flaps from both outside and inside, using old sheets of paper of different colours or newspaper. Use the flaps to make compartments and you are good to go.

Tip: Make sections depending on the items, to say, for ties you might want to make a 6×6 square space where as for perfumes, you might wish to reserve a rectangular space.

Also Read: From Old To Gold: Tap Your Creative Side To Upcycle Your Used CDs

For The Charismatic One

Image Credit: Pinterest
Upcycled glass bottle for a charismatic sibling

For the charismatic sibling, you need an equally charming gift. A gift which is upcycled, but does not look like one. For the same, you need a scrap glass bottle and cover it with jute string or wool. To make it personalised, write the first letter of your sibling’s name on it. You can either use buttons or cut out a letter from old denims and just paste it on the bottle.

Also Read: Goodbye Plastic, Hello Creativity: Five Easy Ways To Reuse Plastic Bottles

For The Bibliophile

Gift an upcycled bookshelf to your bibliophile sibling and get all the love

Though the best gift you can gift a bibliophile is n number of books, but an upcycled bookshelf won’t do any harm. Get your hands on a discarded wooden crate from fruit vendors and paint it with rainbow colours. Add details to it by writing quotes from some of the popular books. You can surprise your bibliophile sibling by adding some books and handmade bookmarks to their collection.

Also Read: Move Over Plastic, Here Is How You Can Wrap Up Gifts Without Generating Waste

NDTV – Dettol Banega Swachh India campaign lends support to the Government of India’s Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM). Helmed by Campaign Ambassador Amitabh Bachchan, the campaign aims to spread awareness about hygiene and sanitation, the importance of building toilets and making India open defecation free (ODF) by October 2019, a target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when he launched Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in 2014. Over the years, the campaign has widened its scope to cover issues like air pollution, waste management, plastic ban, manual scavenging and menstrual hygiene. The campaign has also focused extensively on marine pollution, clean Ganga Project and rejuvenation of Yamuna, two of India’s major river bodies.