Metro’s clothes donation centres collect over 41,000 kg of old clothes

For Delhiites wrestling with overflowing wardrobes and the guilt of tossing wearable clothes, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC)’s Arpan Centres have emerged as a useful option. 
Delhi Metro’s Arpan centres have collected more than 41,181 kg of old clothes from 3940 people since their launch last month, with a portion being reused or upcycled into rugs, bags, yarn, and pouches and other products. The donation initiative currently operates at 10 stations, and the Delhi Metro has proposed opening 10 more such centres in January 2027.

The Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital centre recorded the highest collection at 9,861.40 kg, followed by the Shalimar Bagh centre with 9,761.03 kg.
According to Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, the Arpan Centres of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation were not only offering a practical solution to the problem of properly disposing of old clothes, but were also playing an important role in turning them into useful products through reuse and recycling.

The Punjabi Bagh West centre collected 6,534.98 kg of clothes, while the Shahdara centre collected 6,386.08 kg. The collections at the other centres were 5,189.40 kg at Mayur Vihar-I, 1,680.70 kg at Hauz Khas, 689.40 kg at Dwarka-Kakrola, 467.40 kg at Malviya Nagar, 395.70 kg at Lajpat Nagar and 215.50 kg at Mohan Estate. Five centres were launched on August 3, while the remaining centres became operational on August 12 and 17.

In a statement, the Chief Minister’s Office said the clothes collected at the Arpan Centres are being sorted into different categories and sent for further processing according to their intended use. 
A portion of the material received was set aside for reuse and upcycling, while a large quantity was sent for recycling. According to the information provided, around 4,266 kg of material was earmarked for reuse/upcycling and 29,424 kg for recycling.

“Self-help groups are using the clothes to make useful products such as rugs, folders, key rings, pouches, bags and torans. These products are also being displayed at the Arpan Centres. In this way, old clothes donated by people are being turned into new, useful products instead of simply ending up as waste,” it said.

Products made from old clothes are also being sold at these centres. The 10 Arpan Centres have recorded total sales of `27,036. An important aspect of the initiative is that old clothes are not merely being collected but are also being turned into useful products and sold. This is helping create a practical system for making better use of old clothes.

“To expand the reach of the Arpan Centres, a proposal has now been made to open 10 more centres. These centres are proposed to be opened in January 2027. They include Model Town, INA, IP Extension, Paschim Vihar West, Rajendra Place, Janakpuri West, Rajouri Garden, Greater Kailash, Dwarka Sector 10 and Chhatarpur Metro stations,” the CMO said.

 “The participation of Delhi residents can help expand this system further. Our effort is to make it easy and convenient for people to donate old clothes and ensure their maximum utilisation, thereby further strengthening efforts to make Delhi cleaner, more beautiful and greener,” the chief minister said.