Nagpur: In a first-of-its-kind initiative in central India, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is planning to set up a Textile Recovery Facility (TRF) to recycle discarded clothing and reduce the burden on Bhandewadi dumping yard.Modelled on the successful initiative of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, the project aims to divert nearly 500 tonnes of textile waste generated daily from landfills and drains.The proposal was discussed during a high-level virtual meeting chaired by municipal commissioner Vipin Itankar on Tuesday. The civic administration will take a final decision on the project after consultations with mayor Neeta Thakre, deputy mayor Leela Hathibed, standing committee chairperson Shivani Dani-Wakhare, leader of the house Narendra (Balya) Borkar and other office-bearers. Textile commissioner Vrinda Desai and senior NMC officials also attended the meeting.Under the proposed model, NMC will engage women self-help groups (SHGs) to collect old, torn and unusable clothes directly from households. Instead of being dumped with municipal waste or clogging drains, the collected textiles will be processed at the recovery facility. The civic body also plans a city-wide awareness campaign urging citizens to preserve unwanted clothes and hand them over to NMC once the collection system is operational.The project will require 8 to 10 acres of land. According to the proposal, around 70% of the collected textile waste will be recycled, while the remaining 30% will be upcycled into new products, promoting a circular economy and reducing landfill waste.A team of NMC officials will visit Navi Mumbai next week to study the technology, operations and management of the existing Textile Recovery Facility before finalising the project for Nagpur.Municipal commissioner Itankar said the initiative is expected to significantly reduce textile waste entering city drains, ease pressure on the Bhandewadi landfill, create new employment opportunities through waste processing, and strengthen the implementation of solid waste management rules in the city.
