KMC launches unique initiative to recycle flowers

In a bid to recycle used flowers, Partha Mitra, Trinamool Congress Councillor of Ward 8 has chalked out a unique plan to collect them from households every Sunday and hand them over to the Solid Waste Management department (SWM) of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).

A major portion of the used flowers thus collected are send to Jadavpur University where colours are prepared from their extract. Colours made from flower extract are becoming increasing popular during Holi. The colours are also used for dyeing. The remaining amount is taken to the dumping ground for their disposal. The residents of Ward 8 covering vast areas surrounding Baghbazar and its neighbourhood have accepted the proposal. They keep the flowers in packets and on every Sunday KMC workers of SWM visit every household to collect them.

Mitra said the residents had accepted the proposal and cooperated with the KMC workers. Almost in every household, flowers are bought everyday for pujas. Many people decorate their rooms with flowers. In Baghbazar there are some temples and two centres of Ramakrishna Mission where flowers in huge quantity are required daily. At weekend few kilos of used flowers are handed over to KMC.

A senior KMC official said that this was a unique move and could be used in other areas. 

He said dumping used flowers was a major menace. People throw used flowers in river Hooghly and pollute the water. 

For the past few years during immersion KMC was collecting the wooden frames and the flowers were collected separately. 

This has reduced the pollution level to a great extent as the colours used to paint the idols contain high pollutants.

The official said keeping the city clean had been given top-most priority by KMC and such efforts taken up by the councillors were laudable.