Mumbai’s civic authorities have begun converting floral waste collected after the Ganpati festival into compost for gardens in the Parel-Dadar area, using dedicated handcarts and a composting facility at St Xavier’s ground in Parel.
Nearly 25 large composting bins at the ground are currently filled with nirmalaya, or floral remnants from worship. The material was collected from 18 artificial immersion sites in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s F-South ward, which includes Parel, Dadar and surrounding neighbourhoods.
The collection system was expanded this festive season with four dedicated handcarts deployed across the ward. According to municipal officials, the handcarts collected floral offerings directly from neighbourhoods as well as large Ganpati mandals in Lalbaug, Hindmata, Chinchpokli and Sewri.
Sanjay Mohite, assistant engineer in the F-South ward’s solid waste department, said the floral waste was collected at source to prevent it from being mixed with other municipal waste or discarded in the sea. The system was designed to reach both large public celebrations and smaller neighbourhoods, including narrow lanes and densely occupied residential areas.
Vrushali Ingole, assistant municipal commissioner of the ward, said the collected material was transported separately to the composting facility at St Xavier’s ground. It was placed in dedicated composting bins, where microbial culture was added to speed up decomposition.
The floral waste is expected to take about a month to fully decompose. Once the process is complete, officials said the compost will be used as manure in civic gardens in the area. The arrangement creates a direct link between a seasonal religious activity, the city’s waste-management system and the maintenance of public green spaces.
Ganpati celebrations in the Parel-Dadar belt generate substantial quantities of flowers and other organic offerings. The F-South ward includes a dense mix of chawls, homes, narrow lanes and large community mandals, making collection and segregation difficult when nirmalaya is mixed with routine household waste.
Local Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator Sachin Padwal supported the initiative, noting that nirmalaya often cannot be mixed with regular waste. Separating the material at the point of collection allows the municipal system to process it as organic waste rather than sending it into the general waste stream.
The municipal process will now continue through the decomposition period at the St Xavier’s ground facility. Officials said the finished material will be used in civic gardens in the F-South ward after the composting cycle is completed.
