Usable clothing items, such as pants, shirts, jackets, dresses, children’s clothing, blankets, bedsheets, and towels, will be collected from residents, while items like soiled textiles, medical waste, sanitary products, and mattresses will be excluded.

The project will use handloom techniques to upcycle discarded garments into new products, which will be marketed for sale. Women’s self-help groups will actively participate in the project.

NMMC has partnered with SBI Foundation Ltd., IDH India Hub Pvt. Ltd., and Tisser Artisan Trust, with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed among these organizations.

The project, inaugurated on October 11, 2024, by the former Chief Minister, has gained special recognition from Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a national event in New Delhi.

This initiative addresses the growing issue of fashion waste and aims to create a sustainable system for managing used clothes, transforming waste into valuable products while generating employment for artisans, particularly women.

As part of the first phase, 250 housing societies in Navi Mumbai will be provided with special collection bins for used clothing. So far, 49 bins have been installed across 47 societies, with more planned. The collected textiles will be processed at the Textile Recycling Center in CBD Belapur.

Residents are encouraged to deposit usable discarded garments in designated bins or at nearby 3R Centres.