This document describes the author's "Trash to Treasure" campaign which encourages reusing trash and donating unused items to help those in need. The author distributed sanitation supplies to rag pickers, encouraged education for their children, and used donated trash to start small businesses like a tailoring shop and stationary shops to generate income for individuals. The campaign was promoted through neighborhood pamphleting and events to expand its reach. The goal is to create a charity-free society by providing alternative occupations through upcycling waste.

2. My current campaign
“Trash to Treasure”
• As an Indian kid, I have grown up listening to
the virtues of re-use. We were never allowed
to leave food in our plates. Unlike some
cultures, mainly British or Chinese, where
eating the last bite is considered rude, Indian
tradition instead encourages us to take small
portions that we could finish. I realized at a
very young age that Wasting our Waste was
not an option.

3. Drive for rag-pickers
• Towards the end of 2013, I initiated a drive
about personal hygiene among the rag pickers
in my locality. I spent time with them,
interviewing, listening to their concerns, and
their major challenges. I distributed sanitized
gloves and masks, and educated them on the
means of proper waste segregation with the
money I collected by selling some of my
“trash-to-craft” items.

4. Interacting with rag pickers

7. I encouraged them to send their children to school instead of
pulling them in this occupation. But while I advocated for their kids’
education, at the same time I realized if I’m taking away their helping hand
in the form of their kids then I should provide an alternative
occupation to parents to increase their income. This question
continuously gnawed my head, and I kept thinking about a way to provide
them alternative avenue.

8. Started initiative from home
• In today's times of Google's omnipresence, it's
not hard to find what a useful thing trash can
be.
• I decided to collect all the waste lying at my
house for want of repair, forgotten in the
storeroom for years.
• I talked to my relatives and friends. I
convinced them to donate me their unused
stuff.

10. Though still a small amount of Rs. 1800 only, it helped me in a
remarkable way. Belonging to a poor background, Roshni Didi
worked at a tailoring boutique and for long had been wanting to
set up her own tailoring shop. I used my mother’s old sewing
machine, which she no longer used, got it repaired for Rs. 450,
and used the rest of the amount to buy lining cloth, needles,
threads, machine oil, buttons, hooks, and other things required
to start off and run her business efficiently.
TAILORING SHOP FOR ROSHNI DIDI

11. APPROACH RWA
• With this success, I had tasted blood. I had
seen that the waste of our households could
so beautifully transform the lives of those in
need.
• The next step was to approach my area’s RWA
at Surya Niketan to reach out to the wider
masses in my locality.
• So I put down my thoughts on a paper, made
huge pamphlets and distributed the
pamphlets through newspaper.

12. Pamphlets distributed in News paper

13. I also did door-to-door campaigns in my locality, campaigned at
local markets, malls, and public gatherings.
Trade Fair

14. Promenade Mall

15. Dilli Haat

16. Ambiance Mall

17. Raahgiri Day

18. Tikona Park

19. After the success of campaigns and drive at Surya Niketan, I replicated this in
neighbourhood colonies and got overwhelmed response.

20. After selling the trash handsome amount was generated to
provide livelihood.

21. This amount helped me to set up two stationary shops. With the help
of references given by Sewa Bharti I set up first stationary shop at
Anjali farms (opp. Mayur Vihar Metro Station) which has benefited to
young enterprising boys Vikram and Naresh, who give tuitions to 50
students from the nearby slums at nominal rates. Naresh is an
extremely talented and hard working boy who aspires for IAS. This
mobile stationary shop is an avenue of extra income for him, which he
hopes will help him in saving enough money to take admission in IAS
coaching.
FIRST STATIONARY SHOP AT ANJALI FARMS

22. Mobile Stationary Shop at Geeta
Auntie’s Jhuggi Khadar Yammuna

23. Grocery Shop for Anil Bhaiya

24. Got enrolled three aural and speech impaired boys
from Karkardooma basti in Voccational Traning Course

25. Let us march towards charity free
society