Bengaluru residents took part in plogging, waste segregation awareness and medicinal-herb plantation activities across three city parks on Sunday, combining neighbourhood volunteering with efforts to improve public green spaces.
The activities were held under The Times of India’s #Iam Bengaluru – Volunteer for Parks initiative, presented by Multigen in association with Kristu Jayanti University and supported by the Greater Bengaluru Authority. The programme brought volunteers together at Madhavan Park in Jayanagar, Nagapura Park in Rajajinagar and Kempabudhi Park.
At Madhavan Park and Nagapura Park, participants joined separate plogging sessions organised with the Indian Ploggers Army and Youth For Seva. Volunteers collected plastic and other waste while walking around the parks, followed by a waste segregation session. The activity also focused on reducing the use of single-use plastics and encouraging residents to take greater responsibility for spaces used by their communities.
Participants said the collected waste included microplastics, cigarette and gutka packets, wrappers, bottles and pieces of glass, including material identified as coming from car windshields. Volunteers covered the perimeter of the parks and ended the session by pledging to continue caring for their surroundings.
Akash Mishra, a resident of Haralur who joined the initiative for the first time, said the condition of public spaces motivated him to volunteer. He said the activity also helped participants understand their own role in creating and addressing litter. Engineering student Inchara Swami, who was taking part for the third week, said the session highlighted the effect of plastic waste on soil and her intention to continue volunteering.
Other participants linked the condition of the parks to behaviour across age groups. Venkatesh Prasad, a resident of SR Nagar, said children’s wrappers and adults’ alcohol bottles and gutka packets were among the waste found in the park. Lalriatpui Molsom of Jayanagar said the initiative showed residents the value of maintaining clean parks, while Dilip Kumar Mishra of BTM Layout said neighbourhood-level participation was necessary to protect the environment.
The second part of the programme took place at Kempabudhi Park, where the Adamya Chetana foundation organised an eco-lifestyle discussion and plantation activity. Volunteers planted medicinal herbs and creepers, including shankupushpa, rosemary, nagadali, lemongrass, nelabasale and vishamooli.
Organisers said the vine plantation was intended to protect the park’s existing native flora. Kumaraswamy S, a member of Adamya Chetana, said around 10 types of plants were planted during the activity and described the programme as an effort to promote coexistence between people and nature.
The event brought together residents, students, civic volunteers and community organisations around two routine but persistent challenges for urban parks: litter management and the protection of planted areas. The next activities under the Volunteer for Parks initiative were not specified in the report.
