Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation has processed nearly 7,000 metric tonnes of floral waste generated during Ganesh immersion events and Bathukamma celebrations into incense and dhoop sticks, separating the material from regular municipal garbage.
MMC Additional Commissioner (Sanitation) Raghu Prasad said more than 6,400 metric tonnes of the waste came from Ganesh immersion events, while nearly 400 metric tonnes were collected during Bathukamma celebrations. The figures cover floral waste generated during the religious events and collected through the civic body’s dedicated system.
The corporation worked with Pakka Organics to establish collection kiosks at major immersion points, including Safilguda Lake. The kiosks received flowers offered during religious rituals as well as floral waste brought along with Ganesh idols.
According to MMC Commissioner Vinay Krishna Reddy, the corporation arranged for the flowers to be collected and recycled separately instead of allowing them to enter the regular garbage stream. This separation enabled the material to be processed as a dedicated organic waste stream.
Pakka Organics dried the collected flowers and converted them into powder. The powder was then blended with herbs, natural resins, wood powders and plant-based binders to manufacture incense and dhoop sticks, Reddy said.
The initiative links festival waste collection with a reuse process rather than disposal. For the civic body, the arrangement also reduces the quantity of floral material entering routine municipal waste-handling systems after large public celebrations.
Festival waste is a recurring operational challenge for urban local bodies because it is generated in concentrated volumes and often reaches water bodies, roadsides and community spaces through immersion-related activities and ritual offerings. In Malkajgiri, the use of kiosks at major immersion points provided a designated route for collecting the flowers before they were mixed with other waste.
Reddy said the scientific collection and repurposing of floral waste supported environmental protection and reduced pressure on municipal waste-management systems. The municipal commissioner and the sanitation department did not provide a separate breakdown of the number of kiosks established, the total quantity of finished incense products or the financial value of the partnership in the information available.
The reported volumes show that Ganesh immersion events accounted for the overwhelming share of the floral waste processed, while Bathukamma collections contributed the remainder. The corporation’s next operational requirement will be to sustain separate collection and processing arrangements during future festival periods, particularly at major immersion locations such as Safilguda Lake.
