The Coimbatore Corporation in India officially launched a textile waste recycling pilot program called "Maru Nesavu" (Tamil for "reweaving") on Friday (August 21), aiming to reduce the casual disposal and incineration of old clothing at the source and promote resource recycling.

The launch ceremony was held at the municipal Integrated Command and Control Center in R.S. Puram, presided over by Municipal Commissioner Katta Ravi Teja. During the event, he distributed dedicated collection bags to sanitation workers and flagged off the recycling vehicles they drive. In addition, the Corporation held training for sanitation staff involved in recycling work in Ward 33, Kavundampalayam area, with more than 80 workers participating in the operational guidance.

Under the plan, the program will first be piloted in Ward 33 in the western zone of Coimbatore. The municipal department requires residents in the ward to hand over waste textiles to sanitation workers every Wednesday. The collected materials will be sorted and then transported to relevant units for recycling and reuse. Residents can submit old clothes, bedsheets, blankets, pillowcases, curtains, towels and other household textiles, and even damaged or unwearable fabrics are eligible for recycling.

The Corporation said that if the pilot proves effective, the recycling initiative will be gradually expanded to other areas of the city. Community clothing waste, as a component of municipal solid waste, is also seeing similar sorting and recycling measures promoted in many Chinese cities, exploring more standardized disposal pathways through source separation and regular centralized collection.

Source: Coimbatore Corporation launches ‘Maru Nesavu’ textile waste drive · Originally published 2026-08-22