An innovator and social entrepreneur Dr Binish Desai hails from Gujarat, India. He has designed P-block bricks, made from the waste produced by paper mills, and is using his patented technology to create sustainable rural infrastructures like toilets and roads.
His innovative Eco-Eclectic Technologies lead eco-friendly solutions towards creating social impact in rural India.
Speaking with SBS, he talked about how accidentally; he created his first invention when he was only 11. He told that in the classroom chewing gum had gotten stuck on to his pants which he removed with a piece of paper and put it back in his bag to throw away later. The sealed gum and paper got hardened enough to made him believe that it could be a solution to produced bricks to build houses.
P-Block Bricks Source: Dr Binish Desai
“I used to hear the word ‘slums’ which would hurt me. Since then, I wanted to do something to change their world. I wanted to help them. My dream was the make the world’s cheapest and most affordable house” said Dr Desai
He began experimenting with gum and paper by adding a few more ingredients.
Source: Dr Binish Desai
“My first such brick was of pink colour as had added pink talc powder which mum had”, remembered Dr Binish.
By the age of 14, he had approached a paper mill to ask for paper waste and available small space to put his plan in action. His regular school and working on his dream project side by side, with mere 1600 rupees of his saving, he successfully produced the first lot of 3000 bricks.
He recalled that when he started working with waste, he faced a lot of criticism. It took a lot of efforts to convince industrialists to give away the paper sludge, but once Binish did manage to convince them, there was no stopping him. A meeting with Ex-President of India, Dr Kalam further encouraged him not to stop and live the meaning of his name – ‘Spread the light’.
His famous quote is “There is nothing useless in this world, what might be a waste to you is someone’s asset.
Source: Dr Binish Desai
Today, Dr Binish Desai‘s company has developed around 150 eco-products and recycled more than 600 tonnes of waste.
He features in Forbes 30 under 30 — Social Entrepreneurs list. Based on his work, A book ‘The Recycle Man’ written by Nikhil Chandwani was released last month.
