Spreading anti-plastic awareness among devotees

Goud Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) Seva Mandal, King’s Circle, which is one of the wealthiest in the city, will install three plastic crushers at their pandal. The crushed plastic from the bottles will then be given to recyclers to make plastic bricks.

A year after the civic body banned single-use plastic, Ganpati mandals plan to recycle it and spread awareness about the rule.

Goud Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) Seva Mandal, King’s Circle, which is one of the wealthiest in the city, will install three plastic crushers at their pandal. (Kunal Patil/HT photo)

Goud Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) Seva Mandal, King’s Circle, which is one of the wealthiest in the city, will install three plastic crushers at their pandal. The crushed plastic from the bottles will then be given to recyclers to make plastic bricks. Satish Nayak, trustee of the mandal, said around 15,000 plastic bottles are used in the pandal every day because community members have their meals at the pandal.

“Around 12,000 devotees eat here through the day. If we consider one bottle per person, we will be able to collect 15,000 daily. The intention is to keep the area clean and not throw our waste outside. If we set up something, smaller mandals will follow in our footsteps,” said Nayak.

While GSB has always installed eco-friendly clay idol and the food is served to devotees on banana leaves, Lalbaugcharaja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal opted for decoration made of paper mache last year.

The Mumbaicha Samrat Khetwadi Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal (sixth lane), which collected all plastic bottles used during aagman sohala (arrival ceremony for the Ganesh idol), will have ‘Say No To Plastic’ theme this year. Organisers will set up a special pit this year to store collected plastic waste, which will be sent to the civic body for recycling.

“As a lot of devotees visit this area during the festival, the entire stretch becomes a mess. Volunteers of the mandals will collect these bottles,” said Kiran Ram Shinde, president of Mumbaicha Samrat Khetwadi Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal (sixth lane).