That's exactly what Biju Jose of M S University's Department of Sculpture, the Faculty of Fine Arts, is planning to do in his bid to protect the environment. A member of the Nature Club, Jose says the idea of recycling tyres came to him when he saw a few of them lying around at a cycle shop.

So far, he has crafted bags and masks out of reject rubber, but he's confident that furniture, too, could be fashioned out of the material.

``This has nothing to do with my academic assignments'', he clarifies. ``By making these products, I'm just trying to promote the concept of recycling. After all, it's far better that the tyres are recycled than be burnt or just allowed to waste away''.

Jose adds, ``I'm working on the idea of making furniture out of worn tyres, but it's still at the nascent stages. But it shouldn't be too difficult, though they will require metal rods for support. And once they're ready, people will definitely like them''!

The nature club of the faculty had many such eco-friendly projects lined up, according to Jose.