Trash to Treasure: An initiative by a Rajasthan teenager to convert plastic into fabric!

Through his startup, Trash to Treasure, Aditya Banger, a 17-year-old college student, transforms plastic bottles, wrappers and converts them into fabrics.

Hailing from a family of entrepreneurs, he always found himself amidst business talks, which is why it was not very hard for Aditya Banger to think about his venture at the age of 17! This teenager from Bhilwara, Rajasthan, recycles plastic to turn it into fabric through his startup 'Trash to Treasure'.

Started in January 2021, the venture recycles plastic bottles, wrappers, and covers after collecting them from various municipalities of the country to convert them into fabrics. "We source our raw material, which is PET plastic from all over the country, as we have tied up with municipalities and some communities. But mostly, we buy the road waste, which is collected by rag pickers," Aditya says, adding that his venture also buys plant waste from companies like Pepsico, Coca-cola, Bisleri.

China trip - the start

The idea to contribute towards a sustainable world came to the mind of this Mayo college's student when he visited China with his family in 2019. "While I was on a trip to China with my uncle to attend a textile fair, I saw the technology of converting plastic into the fibre. Later, I studied it thoroughly and got to know that a lot of big brands were already using it. However, it was not much prevalent in our country. So, I thought of starting such a venture in India," Aditya says.

He proposed the plan to Kanchan India Ltd., which is owned by Aditya's family, and took the financial support from it to establish 'Trash to Treasure'. Since then, the collected plastic reaches the plant, where it gets washed and dried up. After that, it is melted to remove toxic chemicals so that when it cools down, it can become fibres. Being the parent company, Kanchan India has a contract with the 'Trash to Treasure' according to which the fibre produced by the latter is given to them to further make fabric and sell to companies to make clothes out of it.

Not only Aditya but his elder brother also helps him with his venture so that he can attend his online classes. And, as per the claims, the venture recycles 1,000 kg of plastic waste every day. To establish his business and make society clean, Aditya aims to collect plastic from as many households and communities as possible.

Now, this is what we call giving back to the society.

Also Read: Meet Sohan Pappu from Vijayawada who makes organic sanitary napkins to distribute to rural women for free

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