Group Of Friends In Gujarat's Kutch Re-Purpose Plastic Bottles Into Bird Feeders

A group of friends from Rayan Moti village in Gujarat's Kutch have found a creative way to reuse plastic bottles by transforming them into bird feeders. The initiative not only helps reduce plastic waste but also provides food for birds.

One of the group members, Laxman Garhvi said, "One of our friends is from Kukma, and he has been working on this for the past few years...and he suggested this idea to us. So, we took a plastic dish from him, and then a bottle fits into that plastic dish. Just like plastic bottles are usually seen lying on the roadside and look dirty, this way, plastic is reused, and we can also provide food for birds in it."

The group said that they got inspired after watching a video of a similar project in another part of Gujarat during the Navratri festival, where the youth created birdhouses from clay pots. The friends have tied over 50 plastic bottle and dish bird feeders to trees in the village crematorium.

The grains provided include millet, rice, and sorghum. As the birds eat, the grains gradually fall into a container below, keeping the feed available for about 5 to 6 days. When the food runs out, the youth refill the bottles. They said that more such creative ways should be found to re-purpose plastic waste which benefit the environment, with solutions that are not just decorative but also practical.