Schoolkids raise fund to recycle used clothes

Just a single act of kindness is all it takes to help the needy and make the city less polluted. Or that is what a bunch of schoolkids are out to prove.

On the lines of the Rotary’s open-shelf initiative, students at the Vidyashilp Academy are planning to establish open collection centres, where the public can leave used clothes for the poor and the needy. They are calling this the ‘Wall of Kindness’.

The students have posted a note on a fundraising platform, saying fashion has become the second largest polluter in the world as textile wastes pile in large numbers in landfills and in ocean beds.

“Our Wall of Kindness is a place where people can drop off old clothes and those needing them can take it,” the post read.

“We want to reduce the textile waste by re-using the clothes. The extra clothes go to organisations that make carpets and bags out of old clothes. This also gives employment for more people and helps our economy in the longer run.”

Saumya Sameer Agarwal, a Class 8 student involved in the project, told DH that the initiative began as a school project to achieve sustainable development goals. “The Wall of Kindness is an open cupboard with shelves categorised for men, women and children. People can leave the clothes in them. There’s usually an excess amount of clothes during festivals and other special occasions. The surplus clothes are given to NGOs, which would employ people to stitch and sew (material),” she said.

One of the open shelves will be located near Godrej Apartments at Hebbal, while the other will be at a BBMP school in RT Nagar. “The shelves will be placed on the roads. If it is inside a building, people may not take the initiative, in the fear of being judged,” Saumya said.

Those interested in a making a contribution, can write to [e-mail] or call 9972351715.