'Doing our bit for the environment'

Meet a Dubai-based couple who converts waste bottles to attractive lamps

Tara Doddihal is an Advertising Professional while her husband Vinayak works for the United Nations. They have been living in Dubai for the last eight years. They've discovered a unique way of relaxation during the weekend. They convert waste bottles into works of art. The result - DIY (Do It Yourself) lamps from glass bottles. 
"There is a story behind why we started doing this. When we entertain friends at home, bottles get empty.  We either throw it down the garbage chute or we deposit it for recycling," says Tara in an interview with Khaleej Times.
"We did our research and came to understand that eventually all the trash goes into the landfill. Glass bottles are not biodegradable. They remain for as long as 3,000 years. We toyed with the idea of doing something interesting with it. We stopped throwing out our empty bottles and eventually friends started giving us their bottles as well," she explains.
Vinayak learnt the technique of drilling the bottle and inserting the lights. Tara paints and decorates it, and the final result is a one-of-a-kind gift item. "In our own way we are doing a little bit for the environment. It is a good hobby during the weekends," says Tara.
Once the bottle is empty, a systematic process follows. "You have to clean and dry it and then drill it. Painting the bottle is the next step. There are multiple layers of work involved. The glass has to be frosted with paint. If the light is direct, it can be too sharp. The frosted paint is more pleasant to the eye. The next step is designing using whatever image that needs to be put in. You can have the stained-glass effect or decoupage, the art of decorating an object by gluing coloured paper cutouts in combination with special paint effects where again there are multiple layers of painting. This is time consuming but is also very relaxing," explains Tara.

Seeing their work, soon friends started asking them to make the bottle lights to gift their family and friends. "We try to keep the cost below Dh200. The cost is mainly because of what we put into it: the lights, paint and diamond bits for drilling. The most expensive one is the light with the lampshade. Finally, our friends are paying for something that saves the environment," she concludes.
-suchitra@khaleejtimes.com