Turning Garbage Into Objects Of Daily Utility, This Delhi Woman Has Given Upcycling A Creative Spin

New Delhi: ‘Don’t waste, instead re-decorate!,’ with this as her mantra, 30-year-old, Meenakshi Sharma from Delhi started ‘Use Me’, a brand that utilises each and every bit of waste and turns them into creative products. From daily utility products like carrying bags to home décor items and fashion accessories, Meenakshi’s efforts save around 200 kilos of waste every month from being discarded and adding to the ever-growing garbage pile.

Moreover, she is also providing services to people who want to organise zero-waste events.

Explaining her creative journey to NDTV, Meenakshi who has done Merchandising and Production at Pearl Academy of Fashion, said,

I am an upcycle junkie. Since childhood, I used to love working with items that were labeled as ‘Waste’. After my graduation was over, I thought of actually making my childhood dream into a reality and that’s when I founded Use Me.

Also Read: Waste To World Record: Kochi’s Vijitha Retheesh Sets A Guinness World Record For Turning Paper Waste Into Dolls

Meet the waste warrior, Meenakshi Sharma

Today, Meenakshi is working with 20 other women and together is helping India go waste-free, one item at a time. The team collects scrap or waste products from factories, boutiques, homes and then conceptualizes on how to turn them into beautiful products.

The upcycled products created by the team are available for purchase across India, whereas Use Me services are only limited to Delhi NCR as of now. Meenakshi adds,

We have a big product line and these items are showcased on our social platform. One can place an order for these items through those channels. We have products starting from Rs 30 and going upto Rs 3,000. Soon, we will also start our online venture.

Giving more details about the products and the items Use Me is creating Meenakshi said,

Usually, we use fabric scraps and then turn them into daily utility products. But, if we get our hands on other waste items like plastic, e-waste then we make sure we utilise that waste.

Giving examples of products, Meenakshi added,

One can give us a pair of their old denim, and we will convert it into a bag, or say an old saree into a rug. We repurpose old and broken furniture too and create pouches and clutch bags and home décor items like name plates, dreamcatchers, to name a few. One can also get these products customized.

That’s how ‘Use Me’ repurposed the old pair of denims

Also Read: These IT Professionals Show India How To Turn Waste Plastic Bags Into Fashionable Handbags

For Meenakshi, Use Me is a way through which she is helping India learn the importance of managing their own waste.

“We don’t want to be labelled as a recycling centre, instead we want to make people aware about how they can manage their own waste effectively. We are just helping them out to reduce their carbon footprint. Recycling and Upcycling comes later in the process of managing the waste, first as users we all need to reduce the amount of waste we create.”

Meenakshi signs off by saying,

“There is just so much we can all do with the waste we create, running a zero-waste lifestyle is not difficult at all. I am leading one, whatever waste I generate, I simply convert it into products. If more people like me are out there to help India beat its waste crisis, then our country can surely win this war against waste.”

See Pictures Of Meenakshi’s Creative Work 

Pretty in waste: That’s made by using the waste cloth from export houses and boutiques

This rug has been made using scrap clothes

So many colours in this beautiful rug that’s made entirely from waste items

These colourful stools are made using discarded oil containers – could you guess?