Several ULBs and civic bodies are employing unique sanitation practices during the Diwali and Chhath festivities. Based on the principles of waste to wealth and 3Rs model, urban sanitation has fostered a sense of responsibility for sustainable practices during the festive season. With Diwali and Chhath round the corner, puja samagri such as garlands, flowers, leaves, earthen lamps, several kinds of offerings etc for performing pujas makes for major part of waste. Unfortunately, after use, these puja items normally end up in water bodies or some dumping site, polluting the surroundings.

To help mitigate this menace, Jhalrapatan in Rajasthan, in association with local religious organizations, has launched Nirmalaya Vahan (vehicle).

These vehicles will visit every temple around the town and collect garlands and other puja samagri offered by citizens. The collected waste will be taken to a designated dumpsite where it will be processed to make compost, a testament to the waste to wealth initiative under SBM-U 2.0.

The Reduce Reuse Recycle initiatives launched under SBM-U 2.0 has been a key enabler of the swachh festival campaign. This is the time of the year when old, unused items are discarded by citizens. This can potentially result in piles of trash. But donating these to the nearby RRR centres pave way for Waste to Wealth. A lot of these items will then be used by SHGs, NGOs for refurbishment and upscaling. The Phalodi ULB in Rajasthan has launched an awareness campaign among the masses to deposit the waste generated from their homes during Diwali swachhata to the RRR centres. People are making conscious efforts by depositing waste household items and appliances along with other articles at these RRR centres.

Exchanging gifts and sweets with loved ones is an integral part of Diwali celebrations. While people cherish and put some of them to good use, there are others that don’t find a perfect moment. Delhi has enabled a unique initiative involving gift swapping.

‘Swap Before You Shop- Gift Revival Mela’ was organized at Navjeevan Vihar in association with RWA and NSS-CVS. Under the initiative, the residents brought unused gift items and exchanged it from the categorized gift pool ranging between Rs 500 to 2000 and over Rs 2000 vouchers. A total of 50 gifts were received in less than 2 hours on a single day. The gifts received varied over a wide range of items, including pickle sets, decorative items, bedsheets, kurtis, perfumes, silk ties, silverware, clutch bags, table lamps, juicers, tissue paper boxes, wooden albums, and candle lamps etc. Additionally, the residents could buy recycled goods and items made out of waste items of their choice in lieu of the vouchers. Meanwhile, a two-day Zero Waste Festival- Deep Mahotsav, Swachh Utsav and Voter Utsav was organized in Delhi wherein measures such as reusable cotton fabric streamers for decoration made out of Fabric katran waste, reusable selfie frame made from waste cardboard, reusable hanging artifacts made from waste ice-cream sticks, reusable decoration artifact pool, 100% waste segregation at source, all wet waste to be composted inside the campus highlighted the event.

Uttar Pradesh has started a month-long ‘Swachh Utsav’ campaign from Oct. 26 to Nov. 22, 2023. ULBs across the State have been directed to hold several cleanliness and sanitation drives focussed on ensuring garbage-free festivals. Over the course of the campaign, the action will be around activities such as cleanliness drives at and near water bodies and ghats, making market areas free of single-use plastic and garbage, holding zero-waste events during festivals, setting up RRR centres, enhancing usability of CT/PTs, IEC programs for spreading awareness around Swachh Parv among others. Jugsalai Municipal Council in Jharkhand’s Jamshedpur has directed local hotels, clubs, banquet/marriage halls, puja pandals, cleanliness of ghats etc to hold single-use plastic free and zero waste events during Diwali and Chhath festivals.

Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban's Swachh Diwali Shubh Diwali campaign is invoking the cultural significance of Diwali coupled with the journey of Swachh Bharat and the principles of Lifestyle for Environment (Mission LiFE). The concept of Swachh Diwali Shubh Diwali emphasizes the importance of a clean and eco-friendly celebration. This initiative aims to instill a sense of responsibility towards the environment and communities by sensitizing and motivating individuals to opt for locally made products, embrace a Diwali free from single-use plastic and prioritize pre and post Diwali cleanliness. By doing so, it seeks to foster a sustainable and environmentally conscious approach to the festival.

A swachh festive season with clean and safe festivities would be only possible if common citizens from different realms of life join forces and make a collective and conscious effort towards one single cause as envisaged under the Swachh Bharat Mission.