The Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has planned to utilise “Garbis” in an elegant and productive manner. Attractively decorated Garbis are traditional earthen pots which are worshipped after placing an oil lamp, the flame of which is kept burning non-stop for the nine days of the Navratri festival to symbolize the source of life.
More than 1000 pots to be used to grow plants
As a part of their eco-friendly initiative of maintaining the cleanliness of the twin-city while promoting the 3-R concept of Reduce-Reuse and Recycle, the personnel attached to MBMC’s sanitation department led by sanitary inspector Anil Rathod have collected more than 1,000 pots which will be used to grow plants, especially Tulsi (holy basil).
“Our 3R initiative is not just limited to the reuse of earthen pots, but we also use our in-house manure to fill the pots and grow plants,” said additional municipal commissioner Dr. Sambhaji Panpatte.
250 tonnes of compost produced daily
Apart from vermicompost prepared from Nirmalaya (floral remains), the MBMC uses “HARIT” maha city compost produced at its sole solid waste processing unit in the Dhaavgi area of Uttan near Bhayandar. Presently, around 250 tonnes of compost is produced at the plant on a daily basis. Apart from free use of the compost for public grounds and gardens the MBMC also gets 10% of the proceeds garnered through sales by the plant operator which works out to around ₹2 crore every year.
“The decorative and colourful pots collected last year are adding to the beauty of various municipal gardens and other civic properties including the green areas at several of our administrative and ward offices across the twin-city. After giving the needed touch up, this year's collection will add glitter to more civic properties,” said Rathod. Meanwhile the administration was also mooting on a project to use the organic manure to grow a variety of vegetables.
