Home / Mumbai-guide / Things To Do / Article /
Waghri community: The invisible warriors who contribute to saving Earth
Updated On: 31 May, 2023 10:46 AM IST | Mumbai | Devanshi Doshi
A public enterprise’s new initiative aims to support the Waghri community that has been an invisible warrior of India’s recycling movement
Listen to this article :
Women from the Waghri community segregate clothes from the collection
Indian environmentalists keep expressing their concern over the country’s lack of concrete recycling plans. Take for example, Deonar’s rag pickers who manage the municipal solid waste from across the city. Their contribution towards saving the environment falls under the unorganised sectors. Similarly, standing at the forefront of the battle against the massive waste produced by fast fashion is the Devipujak or the Waghri community. Bombay Recycling Concern (BRC), a social enterprise that promotes their livelihood prefers to address the community as ‘environment warriors’ for textiles.
“The community has been making a living by saving the environment for more than six decades,” Vinod Nindrojiya, co-founder of BRC, informs us. The Waghris work on the traditional barter trade system. They collect old or discarded clothes that have been worn a few times and exchange them for tubs or buckets. Then, they segregate, disinfect and clean the collected clothes. They even mend them, if required. These reusable clothes are sold to vyaparis (retailers), who sell to underprivileged sectors for a lower cost; as cheap as Rs 20 for jeans.
Trending Stories
Latest Photos
Latest Videos
Latest Web Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
Mid-Day Fast
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT