Mumbai: Footwear discarded or lost during the massive Ganpati idol arrival processions in the Lalbaug–Parel–Chinchpokli area will no longer simply end up as waste. In a unique recycling initiative, thousands of slippers, sandals, shoes and boots collected after the processions will be recycled and converted into footwear for tribal communities and underprivileged students across Maharashtra.
BMC Collects Festival Footwear Waste
The grand arrival ceremonies of Chinchpokli’s Chintamani and Parelcha Raja were held on Saturday amid huge crowds and celebrations. Following the processions, the roads in Lalbaug, Parel and Chinchpokli were found littered with footwear left behind by devotees amid the heavy rush.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s F South Ward deployed sanitation workers for night-time sweeping operations on August 29. During the cleaning drive, approximately one dumper-load of discarded footwear was collected.
Green Sole Foundation To Recycle Footwear
Instead of sending the footwear to a dumping ground, the civic authorities handed it over to the Green Sole Foundation for recycling and further processing. The collected footwear has currently been stored at an open ground near Saibaba Path School in Lalbaug.
From waste to footwear for tribal children : According to civic officials, thousands of discarded footwear items are collected by the BMC after major festivals and crowded events. Earlier, such material was treated as waste and sent to dumping grounds. This year, however, the F South Ward’s solid waste management department has launched an initiative to put the discarded footwear to productive use.
Bhiwandi Facility To Process Footwear
The Green Sole Foundation, a charitable organisation, processes discarded footwear at its factory in Bhiwandi. The soles and other usable material are recovered and processed to manufacture new footwear. The newly manufactured footwear is distributed free of cost to tribal students and economically disadvantaged children studying in rural Zilla Parishad schools, with support from corporate CSR funds.
The footwear collected during this year’s Ganesh festival will similarly be processed and used to make footwear for tribal communities and needy people in remote areas of Maharashtra. Civic officials said the initiative will not only benefit tribal communities but will also help reduce the BMC’s expenditure on transporting solid waste to dumping grounds. Recycling discarded plastic footwear will also reduce the amount of waste reaching dumping sites and contribute to environmental protection.
BMC Plans More Recycling Drives
Vrushali Ingule, Assistant Municipal Commissioner, F South Ward, said the initiative had been started this year to recycle footwear collected during the Ganesh festival and distribute the newly manufactured footwear among tribal students.
A decade of recycling discarded footwear : According to Raju Srinivas, Senior Manager, Green Sole Foundation, the organisation has been working for the past 10 years to convert discarded footwear into durable new footwear.
The foundation reportedly manufactures at least one lakh pairs of footwear every year. The footwear collected during the Ganesh festival will be transported to its Bhiwandi facility, where it will undergo processing and recycling. The finished footwear will then be distributed through NGOs to needy students in rural areas and children from tribal regions such as Gadchiroli, with funding support from corporate CSR initiatives.
The BMC said the initiative is aimed at turning what would otherwise be festival waste into a useful resource—providing a second life to discarded footwear while giving tribal and underprivileged communities a much-needed pair of shoes.
To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/
