It was a casual evening stroll through the town when these colourful “lotus” shapes got my attention. Approaching this temporary stand set up on the roadside, I was not very sure if I should ask what it is since I had no intention of buying. It is pretty clear those were flower pots but I haven’t seen any such on the market. They looked like a different material from the far.
While I was checking out the pots, these two gentlemen came to me, who was the owner. From then on, we had a long chat about these Tyre pots.
Tyre Flower Pots
These flower pots are made from the tyres that are abandoned or discarded. They are made into these lotus shapes and painted in these bright colours. These rubber pots are long-lasting and come in a few different varieties.
The price range is from INR. 200 to 500. It depends on the size and type of these lotus-shaped flower pots. 250 for normal small ones, 350 for the small waterproof ones, 400 for waterproof bigger ones like that.
The Man Behind These Flower Pots
Mr. Shaju, a resident of Kuttumukku is the one who is selling these flower pots in Thrissur. He owns his own godown of used tyres and said he came up with this idea and have been doing experiments with it [However, I found many others who creates pots from tyres on the internet, not really sure who found and started it first].
He comes in this four-wheeler van of his with messages to support the flood victims and showcases his work on the street. Takes orders in bulk too, so I got his business card in case anyone is interested in buying long-lasting flower pots.
He is very knowledgeable about his trade and talked a lot about the tyres he handles, from the ones that are rethreaded to the one which has a capacity to run a few more miles. He collects used tyres online from OLX and other sources, segregates them and used for different purposes.
He is happy to share the processes, how things work in his business and everything else except the waterproof painting on these pots. But, that is his trade secret. Now, I wish I should have asked for a demonstration!
There are tyres from different companies that have different qualities. So, these are reused in different ways. Even though tyres are made of rubber, they are not completely degradable because of the processing they go through [from the internet dudes]. So, these may not be the complete eco-friendly option but lesser of the evil.
Plastic pots are used for most garden decorations and other decor purposes. These tyres, otherwise piled up in the waste dumping sites used as pots, which lasts a longer duration can be helpful instead of using changing plastic pots at intervals.
In addition to that, the option to retain the water inside the pot itself makes it a great option for indoor decoration.
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : https://elsaenroute.com/travel-diary-page-75-its-more-than-the-bright-colours/