Recycling Elephant Dung to Paper in Rajasthan

In India, Sri Lanka and Thailand, small entrepreneurs have chosen the ecological route to preservation and waste management by using almost the same methods to convert elephant and rhino dung mixed with waste cloth into paper, since most of the grasses these animals eat are not fully digested and constitute a large part of their waste.

Vijender Singh collects dung from the elephants that serve the tourist industry in Jaipur. They are painted and decorated to give tourists rides in the area near Amer Fort.

He pays the mahouts a nominal amount for the dung. He found this dung with its high fibre content far better than straw from crushed sugar cane in nearby fields.

A mahout and his elephant give each other care and loyalty. The men live and sleep along with the elephants in the same large shed.

The dung is collected in sacks. The high fibre content of undigested grasses helps to bind the paper and give it strength even when made into pulp and mixed with textile waste.

Vijender Singh earlier tried using crushed sugar cane but dung gave a better result.

Vijender Singh’s home and work unit are in the same semi-finished building in a colony near the airport in Jaipur.

Here, a woman friend from the village and his brother lift the muslin cloth away from between two sheets of paper. Some natural papers hang out to dry above.

A detail of a ready sheet of paper held up against the light reveals the particles of grass from elephant dung and the textile component within the paper.

Elephant dung paper has a distinct texture that is rugged. It can be dyed any colour with either natural or industrial dyes. Its thickness can be altered.

Un-pressed papers hang out to dry along the ceiling of Vijender Singh’s work place. The natural tones maintain its eco-friendly connection.

The thickness of these sheets makes them perfect for experimenting with lamp designs, wall paneling or for strong wrapping.

Coloured papers made of elephant dung are stacked in one side of the unit, awaiting dispatch for fabrication into note books and other stationery material.

Some notebooks have decorative elephant dung paper. Leaves are imprinted on the paper when slightly damp.

Once removed, they leave behind their faint colour and pattern on the pages.

Vijender shows how some of his note books are bound by interspersing white sheets with brown. Many artists like to use such books to write travel notes and make sketches on interesting textures.

The identity of his elephant dung paper products is stamped on many of them with amusing images of elephants and smile-generating indicators that they are made out of elephant poo.

A notebook popular with children. These are sold at periodic bazaars and also made against bulk orders for domestic sales or export.

Colourful greetings are designed in Delhi by a friend and supporter who enables efficient marketing.

Vijender Singh and his enterprise are famous on tourist websites, bringing in visitors from different parts of the world to see his eco-friendly paper made of elephant dung.

He serves them home cooked traditional food to add to his income.

This charming notebook has a sequence of images showing an elephant doing surya namaskar (sun salutations) which consists of a series of yoga postures particularly good for the body.

A significant message on the cover of a note pad made of elephant dung says ‘Support large animals and small businesses” which says it all.

The sophisticated aesthetic of colours and designs seen on Vijender Singh’s elephant dung notebooks belie the simplicity of his workplace, lifestyle and background.

A board game is in the process of being assembled. Even the movable pieces are fashioned by hand out of elephant dung pulp mixed with textile waste and dried.

Read more about Handmade paper industry of India:

- Rhinoceres dung paper in Assam
- Mountain plants to paper in Sikkim