Navi Mumbai turns 700 Ganesh idols into school desks through PoP recycling

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has recycled Plaster of Paris (PoP) from 700 immersed Ganesh idols. This initiative is part of a broader effort to promote scientific recycling and reuse of materials. Navi Mumbai was recently ranked the second most environmentally sustainable city in Maharashtra under the state’s Majhi Vasundhara campaign. Last year, around 8,000 PoP idols were collected after the Ganesh festival immersion from 146 artificial ponds in Navi Mumbai. The NMMC then consulted experts from IIT Bombay and ICT Mumbai to develop a scientific process for recycling the PoP.

With CSR support from Henkel India Private Limited and Beach Please India Limited, along with collaboration from the Rotary Club of Navi Mumbai, the corporation processed about 1,500 kg of PoP. This recycled material was used to manufacture 760 study tables, which were later distributed to students at Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Municipal Secondary School No. 104 in Ambedkar Nagar, Rabale.

In the next phase, the NMMC plans to turn the recovered PoP into reusable raw material for making new idols. The initiative aligns with Navi Mumbai’s goal of fostering a circular economy model for idol recycling. The project demonstrates a practical approach to recycling festival waste. The 760 study tables made from recycled PoP have already benefited local students. The NMMC continues to expand its efforts to ensure sustainable and scientific handling of festival materials.