Hyderabad’s waste management efforts are set to receive two new citizen-facing initiatives, with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation organising a collection drive for old idols and religious materials and the Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation launching a programme to reuse and upcycle unused clothes.
GHMC’s Project Udvasana will collect old idols, religious photographs, calendars and other sacred items at 12 temples across the city on Saturday from 8.30 am to 11 am. The civic body said the materials would be collected with dignity and sent for responsible disposal.
The designated collection centres include Venu Gopala Swamy temple in Badangpet circle, Mamidipally Hanuman temple in Jalpally, Sri Venkateswara Swamy Devasthanam in Moosarambagh circle, Sri Venkateswara Swamy Devasthanam at Tirumala Hills in Malakpet circle and Sri Devi Devalayam in Chandrayangutta circle.
Other centres are Sri Sapthagiri Venkateshwara Swamy Devalayam in Attapur, Sri Vishwa Anjaneya Bhaktha Samajam temple in Karwan, Seetharamanjaneya Swamy Devalayam in Shaikpet, the TTD temple in Himayatnagar, Sai Baba temple in Kalyan Nagar, Shree Ramalayam temple in Jawahar Nagar and Maha Shivalayam temple in Amberpet.
The drive is intended to provide residents with a designated channel for handing over religious items that might otherwise enter the city’s waste stream. The announcement covers both collection and disposal, although the civic body has not disclosed the downstream treatment process for the materials.
Separately, the Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation has launched Vastra Setu to collect unused clothes from households and distribute reusable garments to people in need. Clothing that is not suitable for direct reuse will be converted into useful products through upcycling.
Launching the programme, MMC commissioner T. Vinay Krishna Reddy highlighted the importance of public participation and urged residents to contribute unused clothes. He said Vastra Setu would support a circular economy by extending the useful life of textiles and reducing waste generation.
Together, the initiatives place household participation at the centre of municipal waste reduction. Project Udvasana is linked to the responsible handling of religious materials, while Vastra Setu focuses on diverting textiles from the solid waste management system. Residents can participate in the idol and religious-material collection at the listed temples during the scheduled Saturday morning window, while clothing contributions are being sought under the MMC programme.
