Delhi Metro's Arpan centres turn 41 tonnes of old clothes into useful products

Delhi Metro's Arpan centres turn 41 tonnes of old clothes into useful products

New Delhi, Delhi Metro's Arpan centres have collected more than 41 tonnes of old clothes from nearly 4,000 people since their launch last month, with a portion being reused or upcycled into rugs, bags, pouches and other products, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said.

Delhi Metro's Arpan centres turn 41 tonnes of old clothes into useful products

The donation initiative currently operates at 10 stations, and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has proposed opening 10 more such centres in January 2027, according to a statement.

As of August 31, a total of 3,940 people had deposited 41,181 kg of clothes at the centres.

The highest collection of 9,861 kg was recorded at the Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital centre, followed by Shalimar Bagh with 9,761 kg, it said.

Punjabi Bagh West collected 6,535 kg, while Shahdara received 6,386 kg.

Other centres collected 5,189 kg at Mayur Vihar-I, 1,680 kg at Hauz Khas, 689 kg at Dwarka-Kakrola, 467 kg at Malviya Nagar, 395 kg at Lajpat Nagar and 215 kg at Mohan Estate, it read.

Five centres were launched on August 3, while the remaining centres became operational on August 12 and 17.

According to the Delhi government, around 4,266 kg of the collected material was earmarked for reuse or upcycling, while 29,424 kg was sent for recycling.

Self-help groups are using some of the material to make rugs, folders, key rings, pouches, bags and torans, which are also being displayed at the centres, it said.

Products made from the donated clothes are being sold at the centres, which have recorded total sales of ₹27,036 so far, it said.

The government has proposed Arpan centres at Model Town, INA, IP Extension, Paschim Vihar West, Rajendra Place, Janakpuri West, Rajouri Garden, Greater Kailash, Dwarka Sector 10 and Chhatarpur Metro stations, the statement said.

Gupta said, "The participation of Delhi residents can help expand this system further. Our effort is to make it easy and convenient for people to donate old clothes and ensure their maximum utilisation, thereby further strengthening efforts to make Delhi cleaner, more beautiful and greener."

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.