Archive · 25 Sep 2026
Broken Ganpati Idols Become 760 Study Tables for Children
After Ganpati celebrations, many idols are placed in water and break apart.
Many of these idols are made from plaster of Paris, which does not dissolve easily.
Malhar Kaalambe and Dr Binish Desai wanted to find a better use for the broken pieces.
They used a technology called Murticycle to process the plaster.
Over two years, they turned more than 3,200 kilograms of recycled material into 760 study tables.
The tables were given to children in Maharashtra.
The tables give children a place to read, do homework and learn.
The project also helps reduce waste and saves carbon dioxide emissions.
Mumbai immerses around 1.5 lakh plaster of Paris Ganpati idols each year, creating nearly 675 tonnes of waste.
Malhar Kaalambe and Dr Binish Desai developed a process to recycle broken idols using the Murticycle technology.
Over two years, more than 3,200 kilograms of recycled plaster of Paris has been used to make 760 study tables.
The tables have been distributed to children across Maharashtra who may not have had dedicated study spaces.
Each table reportedly saves around 5,457 grams of carbon dioxide emissions, while the recycled material can produce 12 types of products.
- Who
- Malhar Kaalambe and Dr Binish Desai, working with recycled Ganpati idol material.
- What
- They turned more than 3,200 kilograms of recycled plaster of Paris from broken idols into 760 study tables.
- When
- Over the past two years.
- Where
- The initiative involved broken idols from Mumbai and produced tables for children across Maharashtra.
- Why
- To reuse plaster of Paris waste from idol immersion and provide children with dedicated spaces for studying.
- Annual Mumbai immersions
- Around 1.5 lakh plaster of Paris idols
- Annual waste
- Nearly 675 tonnes
- Recycled material used
- More than 3,200 kilograms
- Study tables made
- 760
- Beneficiaries
- Children across Maharashtra
- Products possible
- The processed material can be used to make 12 different products
- Reported emissions savings
- Around 5,457 grams of carbon dioxide per table