BENGALURU: At the 3-day 17th International Conference and Exhibition ‘Municipalika-2023’ held at Palace Grounds in the city, the Belagavi City Corporation (BCC) and Chittapura Town Municipal Corporation (CTMC) grab visitors’ attention with their initiative of turning floral waste collected from temple, dargah and markets into agarbattis (incense sticks).
Sheetal Ramatheertha, senior health inspector, BCC, said that around 300 kilos of floral waste is generated daily in the corporation limits. This is collected and ground to be reduced to 50 kilos, at a facility in the Ashoka Nagar Wholesale Flower Market, Belagavi. Once reduced, it is processed into aromatic agarbattis and sold by Self Help Groups.
Assistant Executive Engineer, Environment, BCC, HV Kaladagi said, the facility was inaugurated by Subash B Adi, former Upalokayukta and chairperson of National Green Tribunal four months ago. “The floral waste that would usually end up in landfills, was being collected separately, and was reduced to powder. Along with flower powder, wood gum and glycol are used to make about 20,000 incense sticks, daily,” he said.
The SHGs are being helped with raw materials like flower powder to make the agarbatti, added the official. He further stated that it cost about Rs 2 lakh for BCC to install a grinding machine, agarbatti rolling machine and to set up the shed.
“The SHGs have to pay only for electricity and purchase their own bamboo sticks, as the corporation is taking care of raw material. These incense sticks are then given to companies,” he said and added that the Saundatti Yellamma Temple officials have contacted them for the agarbattis.