Hyderabad civic body collects 2.5 tonnes of sacred waste

In Hyderabad, a city office called the Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation is helping people get rid of old religious items the right way.

Things like old photos, statues and other sacred waste used to be left under trees or in places they shouldn't be.

The city has now collected more than 2.5 tonnes of this kind of waste.

A priest first does a special prayer called Udvasana puja over the items.

Then the items are taken apart and sorted by what they are made of, like clay, metal, paper, cloth or plastic.

The sorted materials are given to approved recycling companies.

This way, the items do not end up in landfills, dumping yards or water bodies.

More collections are planned on August 22 at about 14 temples.

After that, the city will collect sacred waste every third Saturday of the month.