City Pulse

Parties are not only synonymous with gaiety and merriment but also with the amount of waste it manages to generate. The day after the party, the host’s wastebasket is usually overflowing with paper plates and cups, and uneaten food items. To counter this menace of disposable paper cups and plates that add to both the growing garbage problem in Bengaluru and to the landfill issue, 30-year-old Rishita Sharma started two initiatives; Green Utsav and Rent a Cutlery. Both the projects encourage people to use eco-friendly decorations, and reusable tiffin boxes for parties thereby reducing the amount of waste generated.  

I was a software Engineer based out of the United States for six years, says Rishita. “I came back to India in 2014, and because I have a one-year-old baby, I didn’t get back to work.  During my sabbatical, I became acutely aware of the amount of garbage being churned out in our cities and felt an urgent need to do something. So I decided to become an eco-warrior for our locality in Whitefield,” she adds.

Eco-warriors are volunteers who visit communities, apartment complexes, schools to educate residents and students about the harmful environmental effects of disposable items, and the importance of composting. “While many did listen to us, there were a few who were skeptical. They asked us to provide an alternative to the disposable items that we were requesting them not to use. That is when the idea of Green Utsav and Rent a Cutlery came to our minds,” says this Whitefield resident. 

Green Utsav:

Green Utsav encourages residents to buy recycled, and upcycled party decorations, and also purchase food in reusable boxes. Interestingly, in this Endeavour, Rishita is not alone. She has also roped in home chefs (homemakers) to make food for the guests according to orders. The food is then packed in reusable containers like Tupperware and given to the guests. “For example, if we get orders for 10 plates of paneer butter masala, we get the home chefs to cook it and pack them in Tupperware or similar containers. We then transport it to the clients. After the party, the client returns the boxes to us and we give it back to the home makers. Thus, there’s zero waste in this mechanism,” explains Rishita.

They also undertake decoration orders. “All our decoration pieces are made of recycled and upcycled materials.  And, we don’t use balloons or flexes. Initially, it was difficult to explain to our clients that balloons are not an important requirement. They were of the opinion that kids will not enjoy without the balloons. But we did our decorations sans the balloons, and kids didn’t even bother asking about them,” she adds.

Rishita makes most of the decorations herself. “After the party is over, we take back the decorations so that the same can be reused, leading to minimal wastage. Even chocolates are wrapped in butter paper and tied with palm leaves,” she adds. Till date, Green Utsav has had over 25 guests, and much more are queuing up for an eco-friendly party.

Rent A Cutlery:

Yet another initiative started by Rishita and her partner Lakshmi is Rent A Cutlery. “If anyone has a function or a party at their homes, they can contact us and we will provide them with cutlery. One set includes plates, glasses, bowls and the entire set can be rented for only Rs 15. We have 120 such sets. We also have plates made of areca nut leaves!,” says Rishita.

Till date, 50 customers have rented from Rent A Cutlery. 

Leading by example:

Rishita has always believed in leading by example. Her house is a zero waste house. “All my wet waste goes in for composting, and since I use my own bags and boxes to buy rice and pulses, I generate very less dry waste,” says Rishita. She even started helping 20 to 30 families in her locality with composting. “I also set up a low-cost composting system in my child's school," she says.

She points out initially her neighbours were slightly cynical about her motives. “They would say that you have come from the US that is why all these activities seem important to you. But after seeing me work hard towards a zero-waste household, many got inspired to do the same,” she adds. 

“Now, I tell people to mail me if there are any functions, so that I can help them create an eco-friendly function. At Ganpati festival, I tell everyone to get their own plates and tumblers. These are just a few ways we can reduce waste generation,” says this changemaker. 

Learn more about Green Utsav and Rent A Cutlery.