A private school has set an example for the rest by establishing a recycling unit in the school campus and generating power from the same for everyday use. Vidyashilp Academy generates 800 sheets of recycled paper on the campus daily. The school is located in Jakkur and is affiliated with the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations and the University of Cambridge International Examinations.

Till date, the school has saved 4,223 trees, 59,62,560 liters of water, one month’s electricity for 10,931 households, and helped 7,453 underprivileged children by recycling 2,48,440 kg of newspapers. To do so, the school utilizes manpower of five people, five units of electricity, and 350 liters of water per day, and the school recycles 40 kg of raw material. The paper materials used across all departments at the school are collected in large bins placed inside the campus.

They are one of the few schools to have a mini waste paper recycling unit on its campus. Maintained by the Paper Recycling unit, the unit has been set up in a room and consists of separate machines that include a small machine for pulping, screw pressing, drying, and smoothening the paper.

Interestingly, campus annual reports and newsletters are all manufactured with the recycled paper. The school has a store where it collects all notebooks, newspapers, magazines, and e-waste. Products like files, carry bags, envelopes, photo frames, notebooks, diaries, calendars, tissue boxes, and pencil holders are made with the recycled paper. The school also uses the paper to print invitations and program brochures for events held on campus.

A spokesperson from the school said, ‘Our school stands second at the national level and first in South India in the Behtar India campaign.’

The article was published in The New Indian Express on 20-12-2018