Bidyanondo turns election waste into note books

Almost all candidates used laminated posters to campaign for the city corporation elections held just two days ago in Dhaka. 

In just the first 12 days of campaigning, the total amount of plastic wrapped posters reached 2,500 tonnes, reports BBC. 

Now that the election is over, where will these 2,500 tonnes of waste go? 

Bidyanondo Foundation has come up with a solution. 

Volunteers of the organisation have begun collecting the election posters and plan to turn them into note books for the children studying in its schools. The plastic will be used to pack winter clothing and ropes used to hang the posters will be used in tying up sacks of rice and lentil.

Speaking to The Business Standard, Bidyanondo Dhaka Branch chief Salman Khan said they need a lot of paper for teaching the school kids to write. 

"If they can use one side of the posters, we can rid the city of all the election waste and help the underprivileged children in the process. 

Bidyanondo volunteers are collecting posters all day long, on a mission to transform waste into resources.

Run by 40 staff members and over a hundred volunteers, the foundation has a project titled Ek takar ahar (food for one taka). Under this programme, they cook for a thousand people in a rented kitchen and deliver the food to some schools and remote villages every day. 

Bidyanondo also has some schools for underprivileged children including the Bidyanondo Shishu Niketon and the Shampriti Anathalay orphanage. 

Around 1,000 students study at the schools run by Bidyanondo Foundation.