KATHMANDU: The house models being exhibited at the Siddhartha Art Gallery are not just about architecture but also about waste management. The creator of the models Raju Khadka, an engineering student, has used various materials that people often discard as waste. From wheat straw to ice cream spoons to thermocoles to even mobile recharge cards and X-ray sheets, Khadka has transformed all these materials into beautiful structures.

The exhibition titled ‘Sparsha — Touching waste with love’ includes not only houses but also miniature models of stupa and other artistic structures. Every small detail has been taken care of in the structures and some pieces have been created with such finesse that one can’t identify the materials used. He has also created lawns and gardens in his structures. The exhibit also had these huge screen-like structures made of X-rays sheets, shredded paper and plastic and ribbons of cassettes.

For Khadka these models are the symbol of how pollution can be dealt with and believes that more than the waste, it is how we people treat them that are causing pollution.

The exhibition which is being organised jointly by Acme Engineering College and Siddhartha Art Gallery is on till January 13.