epaselect NEPAL PHOTO SET WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY 2023 PLASTIC WAS

82-year-old Nepalese makes a living from turning plastic waste into outfits and accessories

epaselect epa10674017 Babu Kaji Maharjan, 82, makes a handbag using plastic milk packaging waste at his home in Patan, Lalitpur, Nepal, 04 June 2023. Babu Kaji retired from his job at the age of sixty. One day after his retirement, he was walking in a vegetable market where he saw a 10-year-old girl making thread from plastic. "At that moment, I realized that I could make outfits and sell them using this waste material." The ten-year-old girl became an inspiration in his life. Since that day, Babu Kaji has been making a variety of outfits, such as Nepali caps, shoes, waistcoats, and handbags. "Although I don't have a formal showroom or shops to sell them, those who know about my products visit my home to purchase them. Foreigners especially like my products and buy them. Now, my daughter-in-law and friends bring plastic waste for me, so I don't have to search for it myself. It takes about 300 plastic milk packages to make one handbag, and it takes about 3-4 days to complete. I believe that by using waste plastic, I am contributing to the environment, and I no longer have to depend on my sons for pocket money." The World will mark 2023 Environment Day on 05 June with a focus on 'solutions to plastic pollution'. EPA/NARENDRA SHRESTHA ATTENTION: This Image is part of a PHOTO SET

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