NOIDA : Noida Authority’s horticulture division, through a joint initiative with an NGO — Society for Child Development — has helped turn around 1,000 kg of floral waste into organic colours, incense sticks and compost. The floral waste collected from temples, mosques, churches and gurdwaras from across the city is not only being recycled but is also helping transform lives of socially affected people.
According to Noida Authority officials, on an average, almost 60kg of waste flowers are being collected daily from places of worship. So far, the project has been initiated in about a dozen temples across the city.
On the directions of Noida Authority Chairperson and CEO Alok Tandon, the body had launched the ‘zero waste’ project in the city earlier this month. “Since temple offerings are considered sacred and are discouraged from being dumped along with garbage and in landfills, most temples throw their waste into local water bodies like rivers and ponds. While rotting flowers affect the water quality, the pesticides that are used on them, leach into the water and harms marine life,” explained Rajeev Tyagi, general manager, Noida Authority.
“In order to stop the water bodies from pollution, this initiative was launched. So far, we have treated almost a 1,000 kgs of waste flowers in less than 20 days,” he added. Tyagi further said that presently, they were collecting only from places of worship.
However, in the next phase of the project, they plan to target banquet halls, hotels, among other installations. “Waste flowers have an enormous potential of being turned into wealth. We are making a difference to scores of lives. Nearly a hundred women of Noida’s Nari Niketan, which shelters destitute and mentally challenged women, are being engaged in the process,” he said.