Attention, Navi Mumbaikars! Now You Can Upcycle Old & Discarded Clothes - Here's How

The Navi Mumbai Municipal corporation (NMMC) has taken a noble initiative of upcycling discarded clothes into new products.

With this, Navi Mumbai becomes the first city in India to implement an innovative project for managing post-consumer textile waste.

People often throw used clothes in the garbage when they get old or torn. Moreover, with the growing trend of fast fashion leading to increased clothing disposal, this initiative which has gained momentum this month aims to recycle discarded textiles into valuable products while promoting sustainability and employment for artisans, particularly empowering women.

As per reports, the initiative will be fully operational within the next six months.

The project is being executed by the Textile Committee under the Ministry of Textiles, in collaboration with the Navi Mumbai civic body, said NMMC Commissioner Dr Kailas Shinde.

Through this project, handloom techniques will be used to upcycle discarded garments into new products.

The finished items will be exhibited and sold in markets, with the involvement of women’s self-help groups to support economic empowerment.

वापरानंतरच्या कपड्याचे व्यवस्थापन करणारा अभिनव प्रकल्प देशात पहिल्यांदाच नवी मुंबईत

जुने कपडे संकलनासाठी सोसायट्यांमध्ये ठेवण्यात येणा-या विशेष पेट्यांचा वापर करण्याचे आवाहन

सविस्तर वृत्त लिंक :-https://t.co/FqjejINn4z #drkailasshinde #kailasshindeias #swmdepartment… pic.twitter.com/3uMxs26mv1

— Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (@NMMConline) March 21, 2025

The initiative was officially inaugurated on October 11, 2024, by the then Chief Minister. The project also received special recognition from Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a national event in New Delhi.

Here’s all you need to know about the initiative:

To facilitate collection, a dedicated vehicle will gather textiles from various ‘Three R’ (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) centers and societies across Navi Mumbai.

250 housing societies in Navi Mumbai will be equipped with special collection bins for used clothing in Phase 1.

So far, 49 bins have been installed across 47 societies, with further expansion planned.

The collected textiles will be transported using dedicated vehicles and processed at the Textile Recycling Center set up in CBD Belapur.

Residents have been asked to participate in the initiative by depositing their usable discarded garments in the designated collection bins or at nearby 3R Centers.

A textile recycling center has been established at Shakuntala Mahajan Multipurpose Building in CBD Belapur, where collected clothes will be sorted and processed.

The Tisser Artisan Trust will oversee the segregation of usable textiles, which will then be upcycled using handlooms. This process will give new life to discarded garments by transforming them into different products.

These items will be accepted:

The project encourages citizens to contribute items such as trousers, shirts, jackets, socks, pajamas, skirts, dresses, towels, blankets, bedspreads, curtains, and comforters.

However, unclean or damaged clothes, medical textiles, sanitary pads, mattresses, leather goods, shoes, belts, and industrial fabrics are not accepted.