Delhi college students develop biodegradable cutlery

NEW DELHI:  A group of students of Delhi University’s Ramjas College have developed biodegradable cutlery from stubble with vegetable seeds embedded in them which, they claim, has the potential to address pollution and unemployment problems.

Food can be served using this cutlery and can be planted after use so that the seeds in them can germinate, said the group, who are part of the Ramjas chapter of nonprofit organisation Enactus which uses business as a catalyst for positive social and environmental impact.

Enactus representatives said the cutlery has been designed to address a multitude of problems, including the menace of stubble burning, waste produced by paper and plastic plates, and continuous deforestation.

The project, named Waraq, is in the pilot stage and students are looking to establish a workshop for the production of cutlery. Though the price of biodegradable cutlery is slightly on the higher side, students associated with the project said “Its benefit should not be ignored”.

“Project Waraq aims to tackle the problem of food insecurity, air pollution, and unemployment. We are producing biodegradable plates made of stubble and plant seeds which will be later planted and will grow into new plants increasing the nutrient levels in the day-to-day diet,” Enactus Ramjas Organisational Development Director Tanya Agarwal said. She said the project aims to combine nutritional and 
environmental welfare.