Clay collected after immersion of Ganesh idols handed over to sculptors for reuse

In an eco-friendly move, around 23,000 kg of clay collected from 50 locations after the immersion of Ganesh idols was handed over to sculptors in Pune, Loni and Pen and some educational institutes for reuse

PUNE: Around 23,000 kg of clay collected from 50 locations, mainly housing societies, after the immersion of Ganesh idols was recently handed over to Ganesh idol sculptors in Pune, Loni and Pen and some educational institutes for reuse.

In an eco-friendly move, around 23,000 kg of clay collected from 50 locations after the immersion of Ganesh idols was handed over to sculptors in Pune, Loni and Pen and some educational institutes for reuse. ((PIC FOR REPRESENTATION))

Director of the e-Coexist Foundation which had launched the campaign, Manisha Sheth Gutman, said, “The Punaravartan campaign was initiated by e-Coexist Foundation in 2020 when they first started experimenting with the potential of shaadu maati or clay, a non-renewable resource, for recycling. In 2022, 20 city-based organisations reached out to 150 societies and involved over 200 volunteers on ground to scale up the campaign significantly in a collaborative way.”

“The clay sludge collected was returned to several Ganesh sculptors and artisans in Pune, Loni and Pen as well as some educational institutions to experiment with. The artisans were offered the clay free-of-charge as incentive to stop using plaster of Paris (PoP). Idols made out of this renewed clay will be put back on the market this year,” Gutman said.

There was an overwhelming response to the campaign which married respect for tradition with concern for the environment. Vrunda Shete, project lead at e-Coexist Foundation, said, “This effort has a two-fold impact on the environment – firstly, it reduces the amount of clay being immersed in rivers and lakes and secondly, it also promotes the reuse of clay which is mined and is therefore, non-renewable.”

Buoyed by the response, the campaign is being launched in seven more cities this year namely Ahmedabad, Surat, Nasik, Thane, Bangalore, Dhamapur and Pimpri-Chinchwad.

The Savitri Marketing Institute for Ladies Empowerment (SMILE) recently held a workshop where it trained women to make their own eco-friendly Bappa. Member of Parliament (MP) Vandana Chavan, who is also the president of SMILE, said, “Recently, 40 women were given training to make their own, eco-friendly Bappa. It is expected that these ladies will become trainers and train other women in their locality. SMILE will also conduct training for those interested in making their own eco-friendly idols.”