The prayer may be over, but the flowers do not have to become waste.

Across Indian homes, flowers are an inseparable part of puja. Marigolds are strung into garlands, roses are placed before deities, and jasmine finds its way into everything from daily prayers to festive decorations. Once the ritual is over, however, these flowers usually have nowhere to go.

For many families, putting them in the bin does not feel right. Traditionally, nirmalya, the flowers and other offerings left after worship, has often been immersed in rivers, ponds or lakes.

But there is another way to honour them.

Mumbai is turning flowers into manure

After this year’s Ganpati celebrations, Mumbai’s BMC collected floral waste from 18 artificial immersion sites in the F-South ward, covering areas including Parel and Dadar.

Dedicated handcarts also went through neighbourhoods and collected flowers from homes and large mandals. The aim was to keep the nirmalya separate from other waste and prevent it from being thrown into the sea.

At St Xavier’s Ground in Parel, the flowers were placed in large composting bins. A microbial culture was added to help speed up decomposition. The compost is expected to be ready in about a month and will eventually be used as manure in civic gardens.

The idea is not new. Across India, flowers have been composted, dried, reused, and turned into useful products rather than being allowed to become another source of pollution.

So, what can you do with the flowers after your own puja?

First, separate the flowers

Before deciding what to do with them, remove everything that should not go into the compost or soil. Take flowers and leaves out of plastic bags. Remove ribbons, synthetic threads, thermocol, foil, decorative........

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