As a city of almost two million people, Peshawar is continuously grappling with one of the main consequences of a burgeoning population: massive amounts of solid waste.

A recent survey by the Water and Sanitation Services revealed the extent of the city’s plastic waste dilemma. According to the survey, the city’s residents send a massive 330 tons of plastic into the waste every day

The survey also explains that plastic waste is a higher proportion of total waste in higher income neighborhoods (17%) compared to low income (14%).

While the solid plastic waste is itself a problem as it takes years to decompose, the city’s administration and citizens often resort to burning the plastic to get rid of it. This creates the additional problem of air pollution.

In these circumstances, one citizen of the city has found her own way to deal with the mounds of plastic slowly filling the city.

Nadia Qureshi, a citizen of Peshawar is undertaking a venture to make something positive out of the heaps of plastic waste that the city receives regularly.

She describes herself as an entrepreneur and a climate activist and said she is concerned about human finger prints polluting the environment.

Using plastic bottles, boxes and even spoons, Qureshi has been fashioning artworks out of waste and selling them both online and offline. She says her work involves both recycling and upcycling.

She added that it is not possible for the government to deal with such massive amounts of waste on its own and if each citizen plays a part, a better world can be left for the future generations.

The objects she creates are not single-use and include baskets and boxes that can be gifted to people and even displayed around the house. Since they are made out of plastic that does not get affected by weather or time easily, the longevity of the objects now becomes an advantage.

One such object that she shows is vase built from the bowls of dozens of spoons arranged in layers.

In other cases, Qureshi has used disregarded bottles in their original form and built a vase around them using thick threads, the bottle’s shape providing structure and stability. Qureshi adds that such bottles are often disregarded after use, but can be attractive decoration items for your house if processed correctly.

While Qureshi has been selling the products of her recycling and upcycling, she says that selling and using such objects can also lead to awareness which could help create a larger movement.

Through art, Nadia is already making her contribution to the community, such actions can contribute significantly to the reduction of plastic pollution while fostering a sense of environmental responsibility.