Using four lakh bags of single-use plastic, Amritsar native Ruhani Verma has built what she claims is India's first carbon-negative public toilet, made of 100 per cent recycled or recyclable material. Talking to The Indian Express, the Class 12 student of Jayshree Periwal International School in Jaipur said, "The central idea of this project is sustainability. I aimed to build India's first structure using environment-friendly bricks. Around 30 per cent of the brick used in making the toilet is made from single-use plastic and the rest 70 per cent is made of waste and silica dust." "Waste generation, especially the single-use plastic seen littered across our countryside, is a concerning issue not only in India but globally too. This problem has only increased drastically each year. This toilet will be able to tackle this problem," Verma said.

The entire toilet structure has been built in the modular style. "If these plastic bags are lined up, they cover a distance of 150 km. The idea of interlocking bricks, like Lego blocks, was used to bind them together, as this structure uses zero water or cement to build a carbon-negative building," said Verma, who plans to study sustainable architecture and come up with more such models to support the environment.

"Amritsar airport did not have toilets in the parking area and I thought it would be the best location for this sustainable toilet project. My school director Ayush Periwal and co-founder of SPB technology Shridhar Rao assisted me to make it possible. Airport director V K Seth-ji also encouraged me to come up with this toilet," she said.

Read More In Detail