Floral waste to boost economy
Subhasish Mitra (Wide Angle)
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With focus on waste to wealth, implementing compost pits in temples and involving temple trusts and SHGs in recycling efforts can create significant employment opportunities.
Outreach programmes to educate priests and devotees about not dumping floral waste in rivers can help encourage waste reduction, says the Union Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs.
The "Green Temples" concept, it says, can be integrated into policies to transform temples into eco-friendly spaces.
Promoting digital offerings or bio-degradable materials instead of traditional flowers can also help reduce floral waste. The National Horticulture Board can be involved in tracking and managing floral waste in green spaces like parks.
The floral waste sector in India is experiencing new growth, marked by its multifaceted benefits. Not only is it providing meaningful employment opportunities for women, but is also effectively diverting waste from dumpsites, contributing to environmental preservation.
Floral waste, collected from the spiritual sites mostly biodegradable, often ends up in landfills or water bodies, causing health hazards and harming aquatic life.
According to a UN Climate Change report, the river Ganga alone absorbs over 8 million MT of flower waste annually. Under the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0, several Indian cities are bringing innovative solutions to the table.
Social entrepreneurs are stepping in to recycle flowers into valuable products like organic compost, soaps, candles, and incense sticks.
The Swachh Bharat Mission is spearheading a transformative journey towards sustainability, where the ethos of circular economy and waste-to-wealth reign supreme.
Amidst this paradigm shift, floral waste emerges as one of the significant contributors to carbon footprints, prompting collaborative efforts among cities and startups to tackle this challenge head-on.
Thus, wastes are not meant to go down the drain. These can be converted into wealth too!