Circular Economy of Waste | Dr. Binish Desai | TEDxGateway

Summary

The speaker uses a roll of toilet paper as a metaphor for the cycle of waste in nature, highlighting the issue of non-recyclability in modern materials. He discusses the inadequacy of current waste management practices, which often involve relocating waste rather than truly disposing of it. The speaker introduces an innovative solution: bricks made from industrial waste, which are stronger, larger, and cheaper than conventional bricks. These eco-friendly bricks have been used to build low-cost toilets and houses in rural India. The idea originated from a simple experiment with chewing gum and paper, leading to the creation of a lab that converts waste into eco-innovations. The speaker envisions a future where waste is utilized to create sustainable products and technologies, promoting a circular economy where waste becomes a valuable resource.

Takeaways

• 🌿 The speaker holds a roll of toilet paper as a symbol of the natural cycle of waste management that has been disrupted by human intervention and technology.
• 🔄 The speaker emphasizes that before human influence, everything in nature was recyclable, but modern materials have become too complex for nature to break down, leading to waste accumulation.
• 🗑️ The speaker criticizes the current approach to waste management, which involves merely relocating waste from one place to another instead of truly disposing of it.
• 📰 The misconception that paper is 100% recyclable is debunked, with the speaker pointing out that most paper ends up in landfills.
• 🇮🇳 India is highlighted as the sixth-largest waste producer, with a staggering amount of waste generated daily, equivalent to throwing 10,000 cars into landfills.
• 💡 The speaker introduces an innovative solution: bricks made entirely from waste, which are stronger, larger, and cheaper than conventional bricks.
• 🏭 The process of making these eco-friendly bricks is described as simple and replicable, using waste from various industries mixed with a special binder.
• 💡 The idea for these bricks originated from a childhood curiosity when the speaker discovered that paper could harden and be used as a building material.
• 🧪 The speaker has started a lab to convert waste into eco-innovations, creating economic solutions for waste from different industries.
• 🔄 The concept of a circular economy is promoted, where waste from one industry becomes a valuable resource for another, exemplified by various products made from waste.
• 🚀 The speaker envisions a future where waste is utilized to its fullest potential, even in space, and aspires for India to lead in providing zero-waste technologies.

Q & A

What does the speaker symbolize with the roll of toilet paper?

The speaker uses the roll of toilet paper to symbolize the natural cycle of waste management, highlighting how human and technological advancements have disrupted this cycle, leading to waste that nature can no longer break down.

What is the speaker's view on the current approach to waste management?

The speaker criticizes the current approach as merely relocating waste from one place to another instead of truly disposing of it, which is causing the environment to be overwhelmed with waste that Earth cannot handle.

Why is the speaker concerned about paper and newspapers after they are used?

The speaker is concerned because most people believe that paper is 100% recyclable, but in reality, much of it ends up in landfills, contributing to the waste problem.

What is India's ranking in terms of waste production?

India ranks as the sixth largest producer of waste, with 43 thousand industries producing 19,000 tons of waste every day.

How does the speaker describe the idea of using waste for creating bricks?

The speaker describes a process where waste from various industries is mixed with a special binder, molded into bricks, and naturally dried. These bricks are stronger, more durable, and cheaper than conventional bricks, and have been used to create low-cost toilets and houses in rural India.

What was the inspiration behind the speaker's discovery of the brick-making process?

The inspiration came from a childhood incident where a piece of paper hardened after a chewing gum got stuck on it. The speaker's curiosity led to further experiments, eventually leading to the creation and patenting of the first prototype of a brick made from waste.

What is the speaker's approach to converting waste into eco-innovations?

The speaker started a lab to convert waste into eco-innovations, creating economical solutions from waste produced by various industries. These solutions are then used for companies' CSR projects, generating a sustainable revenue model.

How does the speaker's lab contribute to creating a circular economy?

The lab creates products from waste, such as road papers from textile and metal manufacturers, soundproofing panels from craft mills, washable sanitary pads from cloth lint, furniture from human hair, and decorative items from paper waste, turning one person's trash into another's treasure.

What is the speaker's vision for India's role in sustainable waste management?

The speaker envisions India becoming a leading solution provider for zero-waste technologies, educating the world on sustainable waste management practices.

What personal anecdote does the speaker share from their time as an exchange student in the United States?

The speaker shares an anecdote where they were asked if Indians know what computers are, to which they sarcastically replied that they only make them, highlighting the need for education about India's contributions to the world.

What is the final message the speaker leaves the audience with?

The speaker reminds the audience of the roll of toilet paper that will soon become a brick on a toilet wall, emphasizing the endless possibilities with waste and the need for innovative solutions in waste management.

Outlines

00:00

♻️ The Cycle of Waste Management

The speaker uses a roll of toilet paper to symbolize the natural cycle, including waste management. Historically, everything was recycled back into nature, but modern materials are more complex, leading to waste that nature cannot break down. The current waste management practices involve relocating rather than disposing of waste, contributing to environmental overload. The speaker highlights the misconception that paper is fully recyclable, pointing out that much of it ends up in landfills. India is a major waste producer, and the speaker introduces a solution: bricks made from industrial waste, which are cost-effective and durable. The process is simple and can be replicated in backyards, originating from the speaker's childhood experiment with chewing gum.

05:00

💡 Transforming Waste into Valuable Products

The speaker discusses innovative ways to transform waste into valuable products, creating a circular economy. Examples include using textile and metal waste to produce road papers, bathtub waste to make grass, and craft mill waste to create soundproofing panels. Human hair from salons is used to make furniture, and paper waste is turned into lamps, clocks, and phone covers. These eco-innovations not only provide sustainable solutions but also help industries with their CSR projects. The speaker envisions India as a leader in zero-waste technologies, with the potential for future houses in space to be made from waste. The speaker's goal is to educate the world on sustainable waste management and inspire others to envision a waste-free future.

Keywords

💡Toilet paper

Toilet paper is a common household item used for personal hygiene, particularly after using the restroom. In the video's theme, it symbolizes the cycle of nature and waste management. The speaker uses toilet paper as a metaphor to discuss how waste is not just a byproduct but a resource that can be repurposed, as illustrated by the idea that it could become a brick in the future.

💡Recyclability

Recyclability refers to the ability of a material to be processed and reused, reducing waste and environmental impact. The video challenges the common misconception that all paper products, like newspapers, are 100% recyclable. It highlights the issue that many recyclable products end up in landfills instead of being repurposed, contributing to the waste problem.

💡Waste segregation

Waste segregation is the practice of separating different types of waste for easier recycling and disposal. The video mentions waste segregation as a common approach to waste management, but it critiques the effectiveness of this method, suggesting that it often results in waste being relocated rather than truly disposed of or recycled.

💡Landfills

A landfill is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial, often associated with environmental concerns due to the long-term impact on ecosystems. The script uses landfills as an example of the ineffectiveness of current waste management practices, pointing out that a significant amount of waste, including paper and industrial byproducts, ends up here instead of being repurposed.

💡Eco-innovations

Eco-innovations are creative solutions that address environmental challenges and promote sustainability. The video introduces the concept of eco-innovations through the example of bricks made from waste, which are stronger and more durable than traditional bricks. This illustrates how waste can be transformed into valuable products, contributing to a circular economy.

💡Circular economy

A circular economy is an economic system aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources. It contrasts with a linear economy, which is characterized by a 'take, make, dispose' model. The video promotes the idea that waste can be a resource in a circular economy, where one person's waste becomes another's valuable material, as seen with the various waste-derived products mentioned.

💡CSR projects

CSR stands for Corporate Social Responsibility, which refers to a company's commitment to manage its social, environmental, and economic effects responsibly. In the context of the video, CSR projects are mentioned as a way for companies to use eco-innovations to address waste issues and contribute positively to society, such as by adopting sustainable waste-derived products.

💡Sustainable model

A sustainable model refers to a system of operation that can be maintained over the long term without depleting resources or causing environmental harm. The video describes a sustainable model for generating revenue through the creation and sale of eco-innovations made from waste, which not only addresses waste management but also provides economic benefits.

💡Zero waste technologies

Zero waste technologies are innovations that aim to eliminate waste by maximizing the efficiency of resource use and recycling. The speaker envisions a future where such technologies are prevalent, including the construction of houses and even structures in space using waste materials, emphasizing the potential for waste to be entirely usable.

💡Menstrual hygiene

Menstrual hygiene refers to the maintenance of cleanliness and health during a woman's menstrual period. The video mentions how waste, such as lint from cloth manufacturing, can be repurposed to create washable sanitary pads, addressing a specific social need while also contributing to waste reduction.

💡Exchange student

An exchange student is a participant in a study abroad program, often involving cultural exchange and educational opportunities. The speaker recounts an anecdote from his time as an exchange student in the United States, where he was asked about the prevalence of computers in India, to illustrate the potential for India to lead in sustainable waste management and education.

Highlights

The speaker uses a roll of toilet paper as a metaphor for the cycle of nature and waste management.

For millions of years, natural processes recycled waste, but modern technology has disrupted this cycle.

The evolution of complex materials has made it difficult for nature to break them down, leading to waste accumulation.

Current waste management practices often involve relocating waste rather than truly disposing of it.

Paper and newspapers are commonly believed to be 100% recyclable, but this is a misconception.

Most paper waste ends up in landfills, contrary to popular belief.

India is the sixth-largest waste producer, with 43,000 industries generating 19,000 tons of waste daily.

The speaker introduces eco-friendly bricks made entirely from waste, which are stronger and more durable than conventional bricks.

These waste-derived bricks have been used to create low-cost toilets and houses in rural India.

The process of making these bricks is simple and can be replicated at a small scale.

The idea for the bricks originated from a childhood experiment with chewing gum and paper.

The speaker founded a lab to convert waste into eco-innovations for various industries.

The lab creates sustainable revenue models by providing eco-friendly solutions for corporate social responsibility projects.

Examples of waste transformation include road papers from textile waste and soundproofing panels from craft mill waste.

The lab also develops products like washable sanitary pads from textile lint and furniture from human hair waste.

The speaker envisions a future where waste is utilized to create sustainable products, even in space.

The speaker aspires for India to become a leader in providing zero-waste technologies.

The speaker concludes by reminding the audience of the potential of waste, as exemplified by the toilet paper that will become a brick.

Transcripts

you may be wondering why I'm holding

this roll of toilet paper I see this

toilet paper as a cycle of everything

that happens in nature including waste

management for millions of years before

man and technology walled everything

from the food we ate the clothes we wore

the shelters we lived in to even our

bodies everything would go back to

nature but now even our own bodies are

not completely recyclable for millions

of years before man and technology wall

this is a man-made conservatism and mid

concept that never existed in the past

the evolution of technology materials

have become more and more complex and

nature is no longer able to break down

these materials thus resulting in

generation of face a lot is said about

waste segregation cleanup drives etc but

what's really happening here we are

collecting waste from one place and

dumping it elsewhere so essentially what

we are doing here is not disposing the

waste but just relocating it we are

filling our environment with so much

waste that Earth is no longer able to

handle the way we see our waste is

simply not enough how does your normal

day begin sipping chai reading newspaper

or perhaps using this what happens to

the paper and the newspaper after it's

being used most of us out here believed

that paper is 100% recyclable

unfortunately that's not true most of

our paper is ending up in our landfill

this is just one prime example out of

hundreds of such recyclable products

then end up saying the same faith India

ranks sixth largest producer of waste

with 43 thousand industries producing 19

thousand tons of face every day do you

know how much that is

it's like throwing 10,000 cars into the

landfills daily but what if I told you

all this waste is entirely usable here

is something made entirely out of waste

a brick these brakes are a stronger and

more durable than the conventional brick

they are twice the size yet half the

price these breaks have helped create

low-cost toilets and houses and hundreds

of households of rural India there the

process of making these bricks is no

rocket science the waste from various

industries is brought to our factory

where it's mixed with a special binder

this is then this is then molded in

desired molds and naturally dried the

process is so simple that you can make

them even in your own backyard just as

simple as this processes it originated

from a very simple idea at age 11 when a

chewing gum got stuck on my pants

and I tried removing it with the piece

of paper I noticed that it had hardened

up so I was a curious kid I went back

home decided to do the same experiment

again and with this newfound discovery I

realized and I added more ingredients to

it and this is what it ended up looking

like I was finally able to make the

first prototype of a break and patented

I'm probably the first guy to pay 10

trash with this I realized there were

hundreds of such products and waste that

needed solution so I started a lab where

we convert waste into eco innovations

here we create economical solutions out

of waste coming from various industries

these solutions are then used for their

CSR projects this also helps us generate

a sustainable model of generating

revenue

for example which from textile and metal

manufacturers are now these Road papers

this grass is made out of waste from

bathtub manufacturers waste from craft

mills are now these soundproofing panels

our cloth has lint and this lint is

helping women menstrual hygiene with

these washable sanitary pads our human

hair from salon is helping create

furnitures for the very same salon and

paper waste are now these beautiful

looking lamps clocks and even this

iPhone cover this creates a circular

economy where one man's waste becomes

the other man's treasure possibilities

with waste is endless in future houses

in space are going to be made entirely

out of face for this we just need the

right tools to make India a leading

solution provider of such zero waste

technologies years ago as an exchange

student to United States I was asked

this question do you Indians know what

computers are to which I sarcastically

replied no we just make them to educate

the people about the world I dream of in

India that educates the world about how

to use its way sustainably and to help

you dream the same let me remind you

that this roll of toilet paper is soon

gonna be on its way to become a brick on

a toilet wall thank you

[Applause]

you

[Applause]