Mumbai, 09 Sept (HS): As the city's festive crowds dwindle, tons of

footwear are left behind. This waste has now been combined with humanism and

creativity to make footwear for students in remote areas. Reconstruction of the

huge post-celebration waste is helping to protect and facilitate the movement

of baby steps.

According to the information received from the

officials of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation, as much as four metric tons of

footwear collected after the processions in Lalbaug, Parel and Chinchpokli

areas have been sent for recycling. It is planned to make new shoes out of

these disposable materials and give them free to needy students in remote and

tribal areas like Gadchiroli, Nandurbar. The initiative has been undertaken by

the F-South Ward of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation in collaboration with the

Greensole Foundation. So instead of going to the dumping ground, the footwear

lost in the festive rush is going to be recycled back into the community.

Three

Questions Answered in One Shoe

The purpose of this initiative is not just to

recycle or upcycle footwear. It has three important goals: health, environment,

and social equity. Children in remote areas who may have to walk barefoot are

given the footwear free of cost. Appropriate footwear is important to protect

your feet. According to the World Health Organization, avoiding barefoot

contact with disturbed soil and using regular footwear are important preventive

measures against diseases such as podoconiosis. On the other hand, unused

footwear, if not managed properly, ends up in solid waste. Therefore, the

initiative seeks to address both the health issue of footwear shortage and the

waste generated by used footwear at the same time.

13

years of innovation

The concept was started by sportspersons Shriyansh

Bhandari and Ramesh Dhami in 2013. The journey of this initiative started with

the idea that useful materials from waste footwear can be separated and made

into footwear for children in need. The Greensole Foundation was officially established

in 2016. According to the organisation, waste footwear and industrial waste is

converted into recycled products to be delivered to school children in need.

The organization claims to have provided footwear to over 8.50 lakh needy

children so far across India. The institute has also stated that the process

has reduced 4374 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

From

garbage to new footwear

Shoes collected after the procession are not given

directly to the children. For this, a disciplined process of cleaning, sorting

and reprocessing is carried out. The sole and upper part of the collected

footwear are separated. The material is then washed, polishedand disinfected.

About 80 to 90 percent of the material in used footwear is recycled to create

new children's shoes. That is, a slipper lost in the crowd on a Mumbai street

is no longer just an item in the garbage. The usable part of it is re-processed

and after some time, the same material returns in the form of new footwear

protecting the feet of a student from a remote village.

Recycling

footwear

Greensole recycling experiment is not limited to

footwear. Waste clothing and flex banners are also used to make mats and bags

for children. This is an attempt to bring some of the waste generated from the

festivals back into the cycle of production. The initiative highlights the

direction of a circular economy, where instead of a culture of 'use and throw',

'use, collect, recycle and put back to the community'. In a metropolitan city

like Mumbai, a slipper lying on the road after a procession may seem like a

trivial item. However, for a student from a remote area walking long distances

to school, a good pair of slippers is an essential daily travel protection. The

journey of a shoe lost in the crowd can therefore end up on a needy student's

way to school instead of ending up at a dumping ground. A slipper lost in the

festive revelry can thus come in handy in another child's life.

'From one step to another'

A slipper lost in the Ganeshotsav crowd is no longer

just a lost item. Her retraining may provide a child in need with protection

from unwanted exposure and safe access to school. This new direction, lost in

Mumbai's festive rush, is proving to be an effective example of environmental

conservation as well as social responsibility.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Ajay Vasant Mardikar