Ujjain Woman Group Recycles Floral Offerings From Temples

Ujjain: A woman self-help group in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain has taken the initiative to recycle floral offerings from the temples across the city into various products used for rituals in the temples.

The self-help group collects floral waste from each temple every day and segregates it before drying it up to make the powder, which is used in making incense sticks, colours and other products.

Recycling of floral waste is not only protecting the environment but is also creating job opportunities for women, who are earning up to Rs 10,000 per month. "First, we collect flowers, from Mahakaleshwar and other temples. Then, we separate them, what is called segregation. After that, we dry them and turn them into 'surti', meaning powdered form. Then, it is purified, and from that, we make incense sticks, dhoop sticks, samaranika, tilak, and pure organic Holi colour powders," Deepali Arora, Co-ordinator of Self-Help Group, said.

Anita Verma, one of the members of the group, said: "It takes 2 to 4 days for the flowers to dry, meaning it takes about 8 days in total for them to dry completely. After the flowers dry, we prepare the powder, and then we make incense sticks or dhoop sticks from it."

At present, as many as 17 women are part of this self-help group. "The flowers arrive in a vehicle, and then we separate them and dry them. It takes about a week for them to dry. After that, we grind them in a machine, and once the grinding is done, the powder is ready. After preparing the powder, we then process them in the incense sticks machine," Kavits Parmar, another member, said. 

The initiative is picking up momentum and being appreciated by the local administration, which has decided to encourage other cities across the country to start such recycling units to protect the environment as well as to reuse floral waste.

As per the women workers, President Dropadi Murmu, on her recent visit to Ujjain, visited their stall at an exhibition and interacted with them to know about the process and encouraged them.