Madurai goes green: bamboo bins debut at meenakshi temple for chithirai festival

Time of India

23-04-2025

In a refreshing blend of tradition and sustainability, the Madurai Corporation has introduced an eco-conscious garbage management solution around the Meenakshi Amman Temple for this year's
Chithirai festival
. Brightly painted bamboo baskets are tied to electric and lamp posts along the four streets leading to the temple.
Implemented just a day ago, the initiative has already begun receiving praise from devotees, traders, and residents. Instead of relying solely on fixed garbage bins at the ends of the streets, these elevated bamboo baskets, placed every 10 metres, provide a convenient way to dispose of waste right where the crowd gathers. The aim is to make waste disposal easier for the lakhs of visitors thronging the temple streets during the festive days.
"We wanted to reduce foot traffic toward distant dustbins and encourage devotees to keep the temple surroundings clean," says a corporation official. "We are piloting this initiative on the four Chithirai streets until the festival concludes next week." The idea was to blend utility with culture, and bamboo, being a natural and biodegradable material, fits perfectly.
About 40 baskets, painted in bright, festive colours, are tied to posts at regular intervals. "We've placed them four feet above the ground so they are out of reach for animals," says the official.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
35 & Earning? Protect Your Family with ₹1 Cr Life Cover
ICICI Pru Life Insurance Plan
Get Quote
Undo
M Karthick, a civic activist from Sellur, says the Chithirai festival often leaves the temple precincts littered with paper cups, plastic wrappers, and food waste. "In recent years, the corporation tried various methods such as three shifts of cleaning to tackle this," says Karthick. "But this year's bamboo basket initiative stands out, not just for its utility, but also for its aesthetics. Public awareness remains low. People don't realise they can use these baskets. The corporation should install boards to guide them."
N Murugan, a flower vendor near East Tower Street, says earlier customers would throw things down and walk away. "Now they drop waste into these baskets. It's much neater," he says. Sanitation workers have also found the process more efficient. "We can just walk along the route and empty these baskets quickly," says a morning shift worker. "It's easier than collecting litter scattered across the streets."
Though the initiative is currently limited to the temple's immediate surroundings, civic officials say similar eco-friendly practices could be extended to other crowded areas during festivals and market days.