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The Handmade paper recycling was started in June 1994 under the solid waste management programme called Clean Upper Dharamsala Project so that it could help recycle the waste papers which are collected by the Green Workers from door to door services.
We worked towards acquiring methodological and scientific knowledge on making handmade papers. Five workers all recently arrived from Tibet and completely new to the concept and skills involved, started working on this project. The equipments were simple and outdated. The work was completely manual and it took more than two hours to produce a single sheet of paper.
We saw the potentials of advanced machinery in our work and thus purchased valuable machines. In 1999 and as well as in 2002, all the paper makers were sent for paper recycling training. Thus, we acquired new skills and were familiarized further with the theoretical knowledge and scientific application involved in making paper. We had been using only newspapers and other waste papers as raw materials. After the successful training, we decided to use waste cotton rags. This new approach gave good quality papers. We now make different paper products.
Our paper unit was initially funded by SOIR-IM, Sweden. They are still supporting us by buying our products. We are working hard to employ more people and extend the paper units in other Tibetan settlements.
Aims & Objectives
- Recycle waste papers to save trees, and prevent air pollution.
- Create employment in the Tibetan community thereby addressing the pressing issue.
- To raise the recycling awareness to the Tibetans which is new for them, thereby changing behavior.
- Disseminate all the knowledge & skills to the other Tibetan settlements for maximum replication
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The paper scraps are torn and cut off into small pieces, and allowed to soak for four to five hours. Soaking allows the paper to blend more readily, creating a finer pulp, and thus stronger paper. The pulp, to which environmentally friendly chemicals have been added for strength and durability is then remolded, pressed, dried and smoothed. Different additives like flowers, leaves and colors are used to give the paper its unique quality and design.
The dried sheets are then cut into different shapes and sizes. A book binder uses cotton thread and glue that consists of flour, water and indigo gum to make notebooks, photo albums, envelopes etc.
Finished products are sold at the Green Shop and large orders are handled directly by the office. The workshop is the only one of its kind in Kangra District of the Himachal State that creates recycled paper products from waste papers. |
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