A creative turn for electronic waste

The last time your printer cartridge ran out of ink, you would have most likely dumped it in the nearest trash bin. How about the old floppy disks and keyboards lying around the office? Most probably, they would also end up with the same fate. Observing World Environment Day on Tuesday, students at Delhi Private School (DPS) Sharjah had only one thing to prove — nothing goes to waste. The creative students used old CDs, hard drives, monitors, keyboards and other computer parts to make artistic creations. From a model of Dubai Metro made out of waste silicon to a robot made from discarded mouse, the students used every last bit of e-waste. Pratik Jethani, a grade 9 student of the school, converted an old monitor to an aquarium. His creation was the centrepiece of a special showcase at the school to mark Environment Day.  “It was a little challenging but I completed the aquarium in a week. Even my parents were surprised to see the aquarium in the end,” said Pratik.  The students dedicated a specially designed robot to the school’s ICT head, Anubha Kalra, who helped come up with the idea of converting e-waste to art. “There was a lot of e-waste being collected by the students and this activity allowed them to showcase their creativity. They stayed back after school to come up with ideas and work on them in their spare time,” said Anubha. Some of the other interesting creations at the show included printers converted into plant pots, wind chimes made from hard drive disks, wallets crafted from silicon found inside keyboards and curtains made out of old CDs. “The entire activity helped us become more eco-friendly and creative. I plan to make some decorative objects for my own room,” said Aarti Advani, another student.