Ahmedabad: The Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has launched a new program to collect and recycle religious waste generated during festivals. Introduced during Ganesh Utsav, this initiative aims to uphold the sanctity of religious traditions while maintaining the city’s cleanliness. The Solid Waste Department of AMC has deployed specially designated vehicles, called Dharmik Pujapa Nirmalya Collection Vans, across the city’s seven zones to collect religious waste such as flowers, decorations, leaves, coconut shells, and old religious items. Additionally, dustbins for Prasad boxes have been placed near temples for easy disposal.

Seven vehicles have been assigned to each zone to collect the waste, which is then sorted for further processing. Wet waste, like flowers and leaves, is composted in nearby gardens, while items such as cloth and decorative materials are given to women’s groups, who recycle them into new decorations.

An official stated that the civic body is also planning an exhibition to display the recycled decorations, creating opportunities for women to generate income by selling them.

The civic body had set up 49 artificial ponds for Ganesh Visarjan, and 41,868 idols were immersed in these water bodies, with the materials processed for recycling. DeshGujarat