E-Cycle

“It’s called downsizing,” says Sharma. “You get the same product after recycling; with downsizing you get something with a lower net value,” he explains.

The value might be lower,but when your guests put down their coffee on a coaster made of an old hard disk,the appreciation you get is higher. These are exactly the kind of things Sharma makes and wants to promote through his website http://www.switchklick.com. The idea struck Sharma when he realised that India was becoming a dumping ground for e-waste from across the world. He visited some sites and saw hundreds of slumdwellers spending hours removing valuable parts like copper wires and selling them to make some money. The rest just stays forever to pollute the soil.

“There are industries that salvage useful parts and refurbish old computers,but that still leaves hundreds of tonnes of useless waste that is toxic to the environment. This is the waste I want to find use for,” he says.

Some of the things he has created comprise a cup-holder and coasters of an old hard drive,a fridge magnet made of the neodymium magnet found in computers,a laptop cooling stand fashioned from a discarded printer tray,acupressure footrests made of old keyboards etc.

Artists and technology enthusiasts across the globe have been trying to come up with innovative ways to reuse e-waste for years but nobody has popularised this in India. “My dream is to make it glamourous. It could be like vintage style; it will sell a lot the minute it becomes fashionable,” he says.

As of now,Sharma is busy collaborating with artists to make a guide of around 100 ways to reuse old electronic parts. “I don’t think I have the capacity to create a business out of it,but I want to freely distribute the ideas so that someone will be able to make a business out of these products. If done well,I’m sure it will be very profitable. My main concern is to reduce waste,” adds Sharma.