Waste Wizard

A mechanical engineer,who graduated from VJTI College in Matunga,Iyer has perfected the art of using everyday household items such as discarded plastic bottles,bags,cardboard containers,toothpaste tubes to create a plethora of recycled products such as sports trophies,pillows,lampshades,kites,toy flowers and masks of deities.

A bicycle made out of recycled waste,supporting public service messages,has been an instant hit in his neighbourhood and earned him praises from motorists and the police.

Iyer is regulary invited to schools and colleges across the city to conduct workshops on recycling household waste into utilitarian objects. He has also conducted such workshops in Louisville,Kentucky. In 2004,Iyer was dubbed the ‘Waste Wizard’ by the Limca Book of World Records.

“For 25 years of my life,I worked in the engineering industry and won awards in Mumbai and Kenya for import substitution. Those were my achievements during that phase of my life. My passion for recycling began in 1993,when I felt there was a sudden boom in the way plastic bottles and plastic bags were being used all around me. When I saw discarded bottles lying around,I noticed the conical shape around their necks and hit upon the idea of fashioning sports trophies out of them,by turning them upside down,”recalls Iyer,whose motto is “nothing goes to waste’’.

“I succeeded in making these trophies and distributed them as prizes amongst my tennis students. There was no looking back after that. I began creating all types of trophies and gifting them to people. Soon they became so popular that I started receiving orders from clubs. I have even had the satisfaction of seeing the smiles on the faces of poor children in my neighbourhood,when I gifted them recycled diyas on Diwali,” said Iyer,proudly holding on to a recycled plastic replica of the 1983 Prudential Cup lifted by Kapil Dev.

Talking about his passion for cycling,Iyer said,“I have been cycling for 50 years and when I was working as a factory supervisor I used to cycle to work. Around 15-years-ago,when a tyre was punctured on the highway on one such trip,I decided to replace the tyres with a permanent solution. After much thought and experimentation,I found two wheels from a wheelchair and used it on my cycle. Being an engineer,I then gathered some scrap material and got them welded into a frame from a discarded tarpaulin hood to protect me from the sun and rain.”

Iyer regularly puts up placards on the cycle with messages such as ‘Thin Plastic Bags Kill the Earth’,‘Tobacco or Voice,It’s Your Choice’,and ‘Alcohol Kills Your Driving Skills’.

“Many people passing by in cars and motorbikes actually slow down and give me thumbs up sign. The Santacruz Police also appreciated my messages about not wearing gold jewellery as robberies were on the rise,”said Iyer.

Iyer fondly reminisces the day when he gifted a trophy,made out of two 20 litre Bisleri jars,to cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar. He also gifted actor Amir Khan a cricket bat,made out of recycled gin bottles,after the release of the movie Lagaan. He was fortunate enough to meet Amitabh Bachchan and present him with a similar recycled gift.

Currently,the head tennis coach at Willingdon Catholic Gymkhana in Santacruz (East),Iyer has seen several boys become coaches under his tutelage. He has been felicitated by the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association for his contribution to the sport in the state. He has also designed ball-picking gadgets out of tennis ball containers.