Temples across India are blooming green with innovative waste management initiatives focusing on recycling of floral offerings into eco-friendly products such as compost, natural dyes, incense sticks, and more, thus protecting Mother Nature and creating job opportunities, particularly for women.

For instance, at much-revered Ujjain’s Mahalakaleshwar Temple, 5-6 tonnes of daily flower waste are transformed into eco-friendly products while at Mumbai’s famous Siddhivinayak Temple, floral waste is being turned into natural dyes.

Similarly, the Tirupati Municipal Corporation upcycles over 6 tonnes of waste daily from the Tirupati temple, employing 150 women in these green endeavours.

Far in the Eastern part of India in West Bengal, known for its 13th-century Ma Tara temple, Tarapith which attracts around 12,000 devotees daily, a joint initiative between the Mallarpur Naisuva Trust and the temple committee is transforming piles of flowers offered to the deity into recycling. The used flowers from temple offerings are turned into vermicompost for local farmers.

Following the consecration of the sacred Ram Mandir in Ayodhya early this year, the Ayodhya Municipal Corporation too has embarked on a similar plan to recycle flowers offered in the temples of Ayodhya Dham.

The move aims not only to maintain the cleanliness of the temple premises but also to create job opportunities for women through the production of incense sticks and gulaal.

Vishal Singh, vice-chairperson of Ayodhya Development Authority (ADA) said, “The idea is to check floral waste from being dumped into rivers and other bodies of water that has been the cause for choking and polluting, leading to environmental degradation.”

As disposal of flowers in rivers, oceans, etc. leads to water pollution as well as affects the living organisms present in the waters, there has been increasing demand for the concept of “Green Temples” to be integrated into national policies, transforming these religious spaces into eco-friendly hubs, said an official from the Union Environment Ministry. He said encouraging the use of digital offerings or biodegradable materials instead of traditional flowers can effectively reduce floral waste.

Lauding such initiatives that have encouraged women entrepreneurs in green businesses, such as organic farming, eco-friendly product manufacturing, and sustainable fashion,  Heera Lal, Special Secretary, Irrigation Department, Uttar Pradesh, said, “This not only promotes economic empowerment but also contributes to environmental sustainability.”

In Mahalakaleshwar Temple, floral waste is processed into eco-friendly products by women from the Shiv Arpan Self-Help Group, providing them with meaningful livelihood. Similarly in Siddhivinayak Temple floral waste is transformed into natural dyes for textiles by initiatives like ‘Adiv Pure Nature.’

Kanpur-based ‘Phool’ collects 21 MT of floral waste weekly from prominent temples including Hanuman Garhi, Kanak Bhawan, Nageshwar Nath Temple, Shri Kale Ram Temple, Gore Ram Temple, Bade Devkali Temple, Chhote Devkali Temple, and Swaminarayan Temple. It converts it into items like incense sticks and havan cups, while providing safe working conditions and benefits to their employees.

Startups like Hyderabad-based ‘HolyWaste’ and Delhi-NCR’s ‘Aaruhi’ too have come forward in floral waste recycling, preventing thousands of kilograms of waste from ending up in water bodies or landfills each week.

Poonam Sehrawat’s startup, ‘Aaruhi’, focuses on innovative solutions for recycling floral waste from temples and other sources into useful products. Based in Delhi-NCR, ‘Aaruhi’ collects significant quantities of floral waste from over 15 temples in the region. 

This waste, which would otherwise contribute to environmental pollution, is transformed through sustainable practices into various marketable items. These include natural dyes for textiles, contributing to the fashion industry’s sustainable efforts.

Floral waste generated in 182 temples in Tiruchi, Thanjavur, Perambalur and Karur districts in Tamil Nadu are being converted into organic manure and used in the respective temple gardens under the ITC Mission ‘Sunehra Kal’ Green Temple Initiative.

According to a study, the amount of floral waste produced in the religious institutions and homes in India increases during festival and wedding seasons. Dumping it directly in landfills along with other waste such as plastic and construction debris may delay degradation.

Without sufficient exposure to air, the waste can take up to 30 years to decompose, and in the process release harmful greenhouse gases including methane. With Hyderabad’s population growing, the city’s limited landfills are overflowing, as per the research.