Jewellery and souvenir made from plastic discarded in the Himalayas

Have you ever wondered what happens to discarded plastic bottle caps? At best, they transform into wheels in DIY toy projects; or so we think. In Nepal, they are recycled into souvenirs, jewellery and everyday utility items by Nepal-based Moware.

This design intervention enterprise Eva Villardon Grande gives a new meaning to waste left behind in the Himalayas. Launched in 2013, Moware which stands for ‘Mountain Waste Repurpose’, employs innovative ways to reduce our footprint by upcycling and creatively transforming waste into useful products. The initiative was kickstarted to promote paper waste management in offices, even as it generated employment for low-income women from Lalitpur, Kathmandu.

Over the years, they diversified, experimenting extensively with waste aluminium, wrappers, and glass bottles. Among their collectables, the most talked about is the ‘From the Himalayas’ collection including a miniature model of the mountains that shows its most iconic peaks — Shartse, Lhotse, Mount Everest, Nuptse, Changtise Peak, Khumbutse Peak, and Mount Lingtren.