A citizen donates Shaadu clay at a Punaravartan collection centre at SNBP School, Bavdhan
Since 2000, around one lakh tonnes of this clay have been mined every year, putting pressure on the ecology, from extraction to disposal. The initiative was launched in 2020, when it collected 30kg of shadu clay in its first year. As awareness about the campaign grew, more people began participating, and by the second year, the initiative had collected nearly 23,000kg of clay. We have set up around 91 collection points across Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad for those who immerse their idols at home. It has taken the organisation years of campaigning, along with 30 partner foundations, to create awareness about the initiative. Last year, PMC collected 40,000kg of shadu clay and sent it to Punaravartan for recycling and reuse. “We have been doing this for 15 years. “We have been living here for more than 28 years, and over the years, we have become more aware of the need to celebrate sustainably, thanks in part to our children.
We also use biodegradable plates and cutlery and organise collection drives for Ganapati idols after the festival, so that people can opt for eco-friendly idols or donate them for recycling through Swacch or other initiatives that collect clay,” she said. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Pune | Silver Rate in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune | Petrol Price in Pune | Diesel Price in Pune | CNG Price in Pune | LPG Price in Pune Stay updated with the latest Pune news.
At Punaravartan, we realised this was an issue we could work towards addressing,” said Mayuri Kumbhar, project coordinator and core member of Punaravartan, an initiative of the eCoexist Foundation. Our team also provides a home pick-up service at a cost for those who are unable to visit the collection points or immersion tanks,” Kumbhar said. Sometimes, we end up with more compost than we need, so we share it with residents of other societies or anyone who requires it,” said Seema Rao, a resident of Cloverwater Gardens in Kalyaninagar. Bharathi Goidani, coordinator of the cultural club at Landmark Garden, said the society plans its celebrations with an emphasis on reusing decorations and other materials across festivals. We are currently unable to monitor the situation, but we continue to create awareness about the issue,” said Shailaja Deshpande, co-founder of Jeevitnadi.
A shaadu collection centre by Punaravartan at LMD Chowk A citizen donates Shaadu clay at a Punaravartan collection centre at SNBP School, Bavdhan A shaadu collection centre by Punaravartan at LMD Chowk A citizen donates Shaadu clay at a Punaravartan collection centre at SNBP School, Bavdhan Pune: As Pune celebrates its beloved Bappa, efforts are also underway to ensure that the celebrations leave behind a smaller environmental footprint. From decorations to the clay used to the make Ganapati idols, several initiatives across the city are encouraging people to rethink waste and explore ways to reuse and recycle resources generated during the festivities. “Pune takes pride in celebrating Ganeshotsav in a traditional manner. Apart from Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols available in the markets, most idols are made of shadu clay, which is considered an appropriate traditional material for making Ganapati idols. However, this clay is mined in states such as Gujarat and West Bengal and transported to other locations. “We collect the clay through three mediums. We have tied up with Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), which sets up separate tanks for the immersion of PoP and shadu clay idols. “We encourage artisans and idol makers to collect this clay from us and use it to make idols for the following year. This helps significantly reduce the need for fresh clay mining every year,” Kumbhar added. Meanwhile, residents of housing societies have found ways to nourish their gardens by composting waste generated during the festival. We realised that our society has designated zones or pits that could be used to compost festival waste, including flowers, leaves and paper plates. We encourage everyone in the society to contribute their waste, which is then converted into compost for our gardens. We want to ensure that this awareness continues for generations to come. We have a common storage space for decorations, and we reuse the same items for all the festivals we celebrate, not just Ganapati. some organisations have highlighted the challenges involved in addressing the larger environmental impact of festivals While citizens are finding ways to do their bit. “The volume of waste generated after festivals is enormous. There needs to be a concerted effort to monitor it and ensure that effective measures are taken to prevent rivers from being polluted. We have tried doing this in the past, but the manpower and ground-level work required for such an exercise are huge. Download the TOI App.
Jeevitnadi, a foundation that works towards reviving and conserving rivers and their ecosystems, has previously attempted to monitor river conditions after major festivals.