Visarjan Se Vidhya Tak

Every year, Maharashtra generates nearly 4,500 tonnes of Plaster of Paris (PoP) idol waste during Ganesh Chaturthi, with Mumbai alone contributing approximately 675 tonnes from nearly 1.5 lakh idols. Unlike natural clay, PoP does not readily dissolve and can remain in water bodies for months, impacting aquatic ecosystems and contributing to long-term environmental pollution.  

Long before this collaboration began, Pushpam pioneered India’s first circular solution for recycling Visarjit PoP Ganesha idols through its proprietary Murticycle™ technology. By scientifically recovering and recycling discarded idols, Pushpam demonstrated that sacred festival waste could be transformed into durable products with lasting social value.

To take this innovation from technology to movement, Pushpam  and Beach Please partnered with Rotary Club of Navi Mumbai – Joy of Giving, which became the first Rotary Club to implement Visarjan Se Vidhya Tak. Together with the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), Beach Please India, CSR partner Henkel, and educational institutions, the collaboration created a scalable circular ecosystem that transformed Visarjit Ganesha idols into study tables for children. The success of this pioneering club-led initiative was later embraced by Rotary International District 3142, which adopted it as a district-wide legacy project to expand its impact across the Rotary network.  

The first implementation was carried out in two phases, during which 810 Visarjit Ganesha idols were scientifically recycled, preventing approximately 2,500 kg of Plaster of Paris from entering the environment.

Impact

Using Murticycle™, this recovered material was transformed into 760 durable study tables, which were distributed to 760 students at PM Shri Rajarshi Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Vidyalaya (NMMC School No. 104), Rabale, while achieving a total reduction of 4,250 kg of CO₂e emissions, equivalent to approximately 213 mature trees grown for one year.  

Building on these outcomes, Rotary International District 3142 entered into a three-year Memorandum of Understanding with Pushpam (NuoTerra) to replicate and scale the initiative across the district. What began as a visionary project by Rotary Club of Navi Mumbai – Joy of Giving has now evolved into a Rotary District 3142 legacy project, creating a framework for clubs across the district to participate in the initiative. The first district expansion project and Rotary Club of Joy of Giving has already committed 3000 study benches, with a shared vision of delivering 10,000 study benches through future Rotary-led collaborations this year, establishing one of India’s largest collaborative circular economy initiatives for Visarjit Ganesha idols. 

Today, Visarjan Se Vidhya Tak stands as a powerful example of how innovation, collaboration, and shared purpose can transform one of India’s most challenging seasonal waste streams into lasting educational infrastructure; ensuring that every Visarjit idol continues its journey, not as waste, but as a foundation for learning.

Collaboration Partner : BEACH PLEASE

Led by Mr. Malhar Kalambe, Beach Please managed the on-ground collection, dismantling, segregation, packing, and transportation of Visarjit PoP idols from designated immersion sites to the Murticycle™ recycling facility.  

Products