Sharjah
Toilet paper is something that is commonly used in many households, including ours. Once the paper is over, we always throw the rolls that the paper is wrapped on in the trash.
I am very fond of plants, but I live in an apartment and a lot of birds, such as pigeons, fly around our area and even visit our windows and balcony. Therefore, it is impractical for me to plant saplings or seeds directly into a pot and place them in the balcony. The birds are curious and peck the seeds out.
So, I went on the internet and did a little research. I found out that the toilet roll is actually biodegradable. It then struck me that I could use these rolls as seed starters; just place some starter soil and and plant the seeds in them. When the plant starts to grow a little, I could put every thing in the soil in a bigger pot, including the roll because it would decompose and provide nutrition for the plant. It is also useful as it absorbs water, so no water is wasted. It keeps the plants cool in the hot sun.
I took the tissue roll, cut it and folded the ends to cover the bottom bit. It’s cardboard so it can be bent easily. I then put in the starter soil and added the chilli seeds and watered it. Very soon the chilli seeds started to sprout and my plant started to grow! We don’t require a big place to grow these tiny plants. One man’s trash is my plant’s treasure.
— The reader is based in Sharjah.
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