Journalism of Courage
The Wagharis: The unlikely recyclers you don’t know of
A photo project on sustainable development focuses on the Waghari community, who exchange old clothes for utensils.
March 22, 2016 16:40 IST
1 / 14A photo project on sustainable development focuses on the Waghari community, who exchange old clothes for utensils. Read the full story here (Text: Cheena Kapoor; Image: Express Photo by Cheena Kapoor)
2 / 14It takes many gallons of water and pesticides to produce 1 kg of cotton for a pair of denims, making the textile industry one of the most environmentally unfriendly industries. Read the full story here (Text: Cheena Kapoor; Image: Express Photo by Cheena Kapoor)
3 / 14The disposal of textiles is also a problem. Reports suggest that 50 per cent of garment waste in a household is recyclable, but only 25 per cent gets recycled. Read the full story here (Text: Cheena Kapoor; Image: Express Photo by Cheena Kapoor)
4 / 14The rest go to landfills or for waste incineration, where they are dissolved in chemicals or burnt, causing further damage. Read the full story here (Text: Cheena Kapoor; Image: Express Photo by Cheena Kapoor)
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6 / 14The Waghari tribals from Gujarat have been in the profession of recycling clothes for decades now. Read the full story here (Text: Cheena Kapoor; Image: Express Photo by Cheena Kapoor)
7 / 14The women go on pheris — door-to-door exchanges of shiny utensils for old clothes — every afternoon. Read the full story here (Text: Cheena Kapoor; Image: Express Photo by Cheena Kapoor)
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9 / 14The women first pick up utensils from shops, exchange them for old clothes, sell them in the Kapda Mandi in Delhi’s Raghubir Nagar and pay back the shopkeepers after keeping a marginal profit for themselves. Read the full story here (Text: Cheena Kapoor; Image: Express Photo by Cheena Kapoor)
10 / 14Operating without any help from the government, they ends up supporting small businesses. Read the full story here (Text: Cheena Kapoor; Image: Express Photo by Cheena Kapoor)
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12 / 14Around 500kg of old clothes come into this market. These are segregated based on their quality and sold to merchants who add embellishments to them before selling them to small retailers. Read the full story here (Text: Cheena Kapoor; Image: Express Photo by Cheena Kapoor)
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