Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
Over 150 tonnes of floral waste collected this Ganeshotsav
THANE: More than 150 tonnes of ‘nirmalaya’, which refers to floral or puja waste, was collected this year at the various immersion sites across the city. Over 40 tons of compost will be obtained from the waste this year.
The nirmalaya collection drive is carried out by the Thane Municipal Corporation and the Samartha Bharat Vyaspeth organisation.
This year, the collection was carried out at 18 immersion sites.
The practice of reducing use of thermocol, which was started last year is being continues this year as well. However, the amount of plastic and non-biodegradable waste was 70 tons, which was less compared to previous years, the NGO claims.
“The size of the idols has become small this year thanks to the increasing awareness. With smaller idols, the plastic flowers used by the people have also reduced. The plastic items collected this year are less than 80 percent as compared to last several years,” said Bhatu Sawant, chief executive officer of Samarth Bharat Vyaspeth.
The Samarth Bharat Vyaspeth, along with the TMC introduced the concept of composting floral waste seven years ago during Ganeshotsav. The waste was earlier dumped into lakes by the people, which ended up polluting the water. A nirmalaya ‘kalash’ or container to collect floral waste, was placed at all immersion sites across the city.
“We have collected 150 tons of floral waste and 70 tons of nondegradable waste. From the 150 tons we can generate over 40 tons of compost at the composting pit in Kopri. The floral waste is separated from other waste, transported to the Kopri plant, shredded and then mixed with bio culture. The compost is generated in 60 days,” Sawant added.