Navi Mumbai: The solid waste department of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has collected around 55 tonnes of floral waste and 15 tonnes of recyclable waste till the seventh day of Ganesh festival. The civic body has installed two nirmalya -collecting kalash across the 23 immersion points and deployed 20-25 vehicles.
“Nearly 70 tonnes of nirmalya have been collected. This may be due to devotees offering a huge quantity of flowers or opting for floral decorations,” said Tushar Pawar, DMC of solid waste management, NMMC.
“We are not mixing the nirmalya with the regular waste, which is dumped in the landfill. The floral waste is being converted into organic compost which will be used in civic gardens,” said Mr. Pawar.
In a move to ensure that fruits immersed along with Ganesh idols are not wasted, the NMMC has kept a separate box at immersion ponds to collect them.
Officials said as a pilot project last year, they had placed large containers at two immersion ponds. The prasad collected was later distributed. “We have so far distributed one tonne of prasad, ” they said.
The NMMC has also installed tables to perform pooja before immersion. D.S.Chabukswar, deputy municipal commissioner (zone 1), said that six tables have been installed near two immersion ponds.
So far, 14,536 idols have been immersed.
