Organisations to recycle idols during Ganeshotsav

The volunteers will stand at 60 locations in the city on Sunday, September 15 to collect the idols and clay, and this year the campaign aims to collect 50 tons of clay

To minimise the impact of clay mining while celebrating the Ganesh festival, the Coexist Foundation and other sixteen organisations in the city erected clay collection centres to collect the Shadu Mati (Clay) idols and hand over the clay to the artists. These organisations have been executing project ‘Punaravartan’ for the last four years and this is the fifth year of this drive. Last year under this movement, the organisations collected 20,000 kg of clay.

These organisations have been executing project ‘Punaravartan’ for the last four years and this is the fifth year of this drive. (HT PHOTO)

Talking about the initiative, Manisha Sheth, founder of the Ecoexist Foundation said, “The campaign was first implemented in Pune and after a nod of approval by chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, it is now getting replicated in other cities in the state. Eight cities across Maharashtra have launched the Punaravartan campaign which include Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Thane, Sangli, Aurangabad, Sawantwadi, Mahad and Panvel.”

She further said, “Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has endorsed the campaign and offered dedicated immersion tank locations to collect the clay sludge from the idols immersed in these tanks.”

The volunteers will stand at 60 locations in the city on Sunday, September 15 to collect the idols and clay, and this year the campaign aims to collect 50 tons of clay.