Move on gold, silver and semiprecious stones, jewellery made using eco-friendly materials are here to stay. The buzz is all about using recycled materials like discarded paper and old tin cans to make earrings, bracelets and headbands. Other items include recycled wallets, belts, watch straps, glass, cans, lanterns, etc.

Interestingly, the most commonly used waste item is cloth, which is seen in earrings, wallets, cushion covers and every possible fashion item. These cost-effective accessories attract a lot of attention, especially from the youth. Earrings are also been made from glass bottle pieces, bags are made from newspapers, tetrapacks are used to make smart clutches, and so on.

In Mumbai, an Andheri-based store, Tribal Route stores various handicraft products, some of which are made from waste or recycled materials. Another shop, People Tree in Delhi deals in accessories made from recycled waste. It is popular with girls for its funky recycled earring collection, watch straps, headbands, unisex wallets, bracelets, etc. These stores collect the product from NGOs. So, think twice before thrashing the waste, it just might be valuable.