Title: A colourful solution to floral waste: an approach for sustainable environment and its relation to a small business model

Authors: Geeta Saini; Swati Sharma; Shraddha R. Bhat

Addresses: Department of Chemistry, Gargi College, University of Delhi, Siri Fort Road, New Delhi, 110049, India ' Department of Chemistry, Gargi College, University of Delhi, Siri Fort Road, New Delhi, 110049, India ' Department of Chemistry, Gargi College, University of Delhi, Siri Fort Road, New Delhi, 110049, India

Abstract: India is a place of great devotion; without flowers, devotion is never completed. Temples spend a significant amount of money daily on flowers which are eventually discarded into landfills or water bodies, severely contaminating them. The proposed paper aims to bring awareness to the issue created by temple floral waste and to offer a better solution for their usage and recycling. Composting flower debris is one of the greatest solutions to the problem caused by the dumping of flower waste. In addition to composting, numerous other things including bookmarks, colourful papers, and containers, other items have also been produced by floral waste. Through this, a significant issue of land pollution and water pollution (mostly in the rivers found in holy places like the Holy Ganges River, Uttarakhand, India) can be reduced, and it also offers employment opportunities for the disadvantaged society. It can be viewed as a typical illustration of wealth from waste that has been recycled and used again. These goods are valuable commercially, and with the right management, they might even become a source of revenue. So, the present paper focuses on gathering, using, and transforming flower waste produced by the temple into various non-conventional items.

Keywords: floral waste; water pollution; solid waste management; temple waste; revenue generation; employment.

DOI: 10.1504/IJISD.2025.145970

International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development, 2025 Vol.19 No.3, pp.281 - 292

Received: 03 Sep 2022
Accepted: 02 Feb 2023
Published online: 01 May 2025 *

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