POP Ganesh Idols to Be Recycled in Mumbai

As more and more people are growing concerned about the need to protect our environment from pollution in different forms, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for the first time collected 9,400 Ganesha idols which were washed ashore after immersion in Mumbai on Thursday. Officials of BMC collected  9,400 Plaster of Paris (PoP) Ganesh idols that were washed ashore after Visarjan. These idols which were earlier re-immersed in the deep sea pose a threat to the environment as they do not dissolve in water. BMC, therefore, came up with this initiative to hand over theses POP idols of Lord Ganesha to cement companies for recycling. The BMC also made arrangements for collection of ‘nirmalaya’ (floral offerings) so that it could be sent to compost plants that would transform them into valuable natural fertilizer. Kiran Dighavkar, asst commissioner of G North said that they had collected 10 metric tonnes of 'nirmalaya' and sent it for composting into fertilizer. While some of the Ganesha devotees have switched over to clay idols as they are environment-friendly, many still use POP idols as clay idols are expensive. This is the first time the BMC has come up with this idea of recycling the Plaster of Paris idols by sending them to cement factories through 'Let's Recycle’, a waste management company. It is heartening to know that people are coming up with new ideas and initiatives to protect our environment.  

This Unique Eco-Friendly Ganesha Has Many Admirers

While Ganpati celebrations are going on throughout the country with lots of excitement and enthusiasm, there has been many talks about the need to make or buy eco-friendly Ganesha so that our environment is not adversely affected. The increasing awareness about the need to protect our environment has prompted many people to switch over to eco-friendly Ganesha idols. This trend has brought forth many innovative and interesting creations of Ganesha. One such unique idol is the Ganesha idol in Sambalpur village in Odisha which is made of bananas. Raw bananas go into the making of this impressive Ganesha figure and the best part of this creation is that when the bananas ripen by the end of the festival, they are distributed among the poor. Members of the Nataraj club from Odisha have been making this particular idol since 2017 for the Ganesh festival. Prior to that, members of this club made other 25-feet-high idols with biodegradable materials such as coconuts, rudraksha, sweet bundi ladoos, mouli threads and conch shells. The edible and reusable products used to make the Ganesha idols are not immersed in water but are reused or consumed by the locals. A similar colossal 30 feet idol was made with around 9000 coconuts near the Puttengally Ganesha temple in Bengaluru this year. Many more Ganesha idols made of different vegetables and even chocolate are becoming common now. Thus people are nowadays replacing the conventional idols made of plaster of paris with interesting eco-friendly Ganesha idols that are good for the environment. Image Source: Curly Tales