Thinking outside the, um, box

Indian citizens are being flooded with free condoms because of their high population growth and AIDS problem. But enterprising people are using them in some innovative ways:

Of the 891 million condoms meant to be handed out free, a considerable proportion were acquired by road-building contractors who mixed them with concrete and tar and used the mixture to construct roads, rendering road surfaces smooth and resistant to cracks.

Builders spread a bed of condoms beneath cement plastering on roofs, ingeniously preventing water seepage during the monsoon rains.

Weavers in Varanasi used around 200,000 condoms a day to lubricate their looms and to polish the gold and silver thread used to embroider the saris they produced.

They're also being used as fashion accessories, if you can believe the picture on the news article. (Link via Boing Boing)