TURA: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Friday awarded Bonkey R Marak of Williamnagar with the Meghalaya-Entrepreneurship Recognition Award (MEG-ERA) June 2019.
Congratulating Bonkey R Marak, a resident of Balsrigittim Williamnagar in East Garo Hills, who started a waste-paper recycling centre by the name Ecocraft in the premises of the Deputy Commissioner’s Office, Williamnagar, Sangma said the entrepreneurship of Bonkey R Marak sends a strong message of recycling which goes in with the thought process of the government. He added that the government is focusing on waste management and initiatives like these are to be encouraged and emulated.
It may be mentioned that the main objective of Ecocraft, the recycling centre started by Bonkey R Marak, is to collect everyday waste paper generated by every government school, college and office and to recycle and reuse the same in a bid to reduce the unnecessary dumping and littering of paper as waste material.
Through the unit, the discarded paper is recycled into file covers, file boards, four folding file, envelopes, document boxes, pen stands and waste paper bins.
Though operational only in East Garo Hills for now, Bonkey hopes to soon expand his enterprise to the entire Garo Hills region.
At present the grades of paper being accepted by the recycling centre for recycling includes, notepads, notebooks, photo copied documents on A3 and A4 sheets, books, letter heads, envelopes, file cover, boards, magazines, shredded papers, journals, brochures, catalogs etc.
In addition to recycling, Ecocraft also conducts training programmes for interested people.
Bonkey looks forward to government offices and departments to donate waste paper, old newspapers and magazines for recycling at the centre thereby promoting and adding to the state’s vision to make Meghalaya clean and green.