Through its ongoing efforts to promote green beautification for cities, the Floriculture Department, Kashmir has created an innovative eco-friendly themed garden within the heart of Polo Ground Park in Lal Chowk, Srinagar.
This unique garden was created using the Swachh Bharat Mission’s 3R concept of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle by upcycling local waste into new uses through creative methods of decorating and reusing everyday materials that would have otherwise become urban litter or become part of landfills.
The newly redesigned Polo Ground Park is now home to a “Wonder Garden” made completely from waste material that has transformed the appearance of older unused items into beautiful works of art and product installations.
Instead of purchasing new items from retail establishments, this environmental effort has made use of discarded garden and office materials and by reusing these items to create decorative product displays at no actual cost to the municipal government through the use of reclaimed waste material including tires, old electric kettles, and other recyclable products, the department has produced dozens of artistic and eco-friendly displays within the “Wonder Garden”.
The successful project reduces municipal solid waste, and provides an attractive artistic setting and creates public awareness about beauty and environmentally-friendly products in one of the busiest and most visited areas within Srinagar.
The achievement of this project shows that modernizing urban landscapes does not need to come with a price tag, as cities can use their trash through a sustainable approach to create beautiful spaces within the communities.
These Waste to Wonder projects complement the overarching objectives of the Swachh Bharat Mission. By generating a sense of environmental responsibility among residents and non-residents alike, they have increased the civic pride of the communities where the projects are located.
The project serves as a unique, guilt-free family getaway within a natural setting, recycling artistic objects in the process.
By providing innovative solutions to urban planners, the Floriculture Department is establishing a benchmark for creative urban landscaping and the balance of aesthetic beauty with ecological sustainability.
