Trash To Treasure! This Company Makes Incense Sticks From Recycled, Temple Flower Waste

Flowers are an integral part of divine rituals in a country like India, be it at a temple, a gurdwara or a mosque. However, most of them are thrown out as waste in garbage or rivers. So, a constant need arises to give these flowers a new lease of life.

Mysore Deep Perfumery House (MDPH), with its flagship brand Zed Black, India's top 'agarbatti 'manufacturing brand, has signed a deal with HelpUsGreen, the pioneer in flower recycling technology, to launch "Nature Flower" fragrant incense sticks made from recycled flowers.

From floral waste to fragrant sticks, the Zed Black Nature Flower Incense Sticks are available in four natural fragrances, Sandal, Mogra, Kasturi, and Rose across India. The project aims to impact the lives of more than 1000 indigenous women workforce.

Huge loads of floral-waste is collected from religious places, mainly in Uttar Pradesh. The waste is then sorted, dried, and pulverised to make flower powder, which is then mixed with raw materials to make 'raw agarbattis'.

By using pioneering flower recycling technology and establishing a first of a kind Circular Economic model in the country, HelpUsGreen are the forerunners in starting the movement to clean the rivers and the places of worship. Thus, giving future generations a clean, holy environment, reducing the pollutants and decreasing the carbon footprint in the country.

Catered To Over 230 Tons Of Flower Waste

The team works with nearly 25 places of worship, including temples and gurdwaras in Kanpur, which has impacted hundreds of individuals and catered to more than 230 tons of flower waste.

MDPH and HelpUsGreen have collaborated with Kali Mathiya, Shanidev Mandir, Shri Anandeshwar Mandir, Panki Mandir, Bhairav Mandir, Siddhnath Mandir, Jogeshwar Mandir, Gumti Gurudwara and many other temples and mosques in Kanpur.

"Joining hands with HelpUsGreen and creating "Nature Flower" is our small contribution in reducing the floral waste from the holy places in India. We also create a clean environment for the tourists and locals alike," Ankit Agrawal, Managing Partner Mysore Deep Perfumery House (Zed Black) said.

"Besides working with temples, we are in talks with many municipal corporations to collect the daily floral waste and wilted flowers and give a new lease of life by converting them into fragrant incense sticks," he added.

Creating Employment Opportunities

Karan Rastogi, Founder and Director HelpUsGreen shared that the MoU with MDPH is vital as the famous national brand is thinking about waste management and ensuring that this cause reaches people in the best way possible.

"Besides preserving the water bodies and keeping holy places clean, we will work towards creating a circular economy around the temple waste, thus creating livelihood opportunities. Soon, we will start producing lifestyle products by up-cycling monumental, temple-waste in India and making it sustainable," he said.

He added that various collection centres will be set up across the country to create more employment prospects for underprivileged women. The mission on hand is to impact the lives of more than 1000 people by the end of 2022.

Anshul Agrawal, Managing Partner, Mysore Deep Perfumery House (Zed Black) said, "With this new range of Nature Flower Incense Sticks & Dhoop Sticks at an affordable price, it's an obvious choice for our customers who are concerned about the environment."

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