An Assam father and daughter turn rhino and elephant dung into notebooks
Since 2014, their venture Elrhino has made paper products from wildlife waste, giving villagers near habitats an extra income.
- Founded in Assam in 2014
- Uses banana fibre and recycled paper too
- Products include notebooks, bags and lampshades
How it began
Retired mining engineer Mahesh Chandra Bora read on a flight about paper made from elephant dung in Rajasthan and wondered whether Assam, home of the one-horned rhino, could do the same. After retiring, he tried it at home with a kitchen blender and window screens. His daughter Nisha, who spent 17 years in the corporate world, later joined to turn it into a business, Elrhino Eco Industries.
How it works
Villagers living near wildlife areas collect the dung, which is cleaned, washed and boiled into pulp. It is mixed with recycled paper, cotton waste and plant fibres such as banana stem, then pressed and dried into sheets. These become notebooks, journals, bags, lampshades and playing cards. The work gives local people paid work and craft skills, and uses less wood pulp.
