New Delhi:Old clothes lying in the cupboard of the house for a long time will no longer remain just junk. The donation centers of Delhi Metro have started such a story of giving new life to these clothes, in which the clothes considered useless are sometimes taking the form of a rug, sometimes a bag, sometimes a pouch and sometimes a pylon. This means that the old clothes are not gone, but are returning to the market in a new style. So far, 41,181.59 kg i.e. more than 41 tonnes of old clothes have been deposited at 10 donation centers of Delhi Metro. Useful products are being prepared by dividing these clothes into different categories for reusing, upcycling and recycling.
3,940 people gave new life to old clothes
Till August 31, 3,940 people deposited their old clothes at 10 donation centres. Among these, Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital Center was at the forefront, where 9,861.40 kg of clothes were collected. After this, 9,761.03 kg clothes were collected in Shalimar Bagh, 6,534.98 kg in Punjabi Bagh West and 6,386.08 kg in Shahdara. 5,189.40 kg clothes were collected in Mayur Vihar-1, 1,680.70 kg in Hauz Khas, 689.40 kg in Dwarka-Kakrola, 467.40 kg in Malviya Nagar, 395.70 kg in Lajpat Nagar and 215.50 kg in Mohan Estate.
Old clothes, new style
The clothes reaching the donation centers are sorted and sent forward according to their condition and usefulness. About 4,266 kg of material has been separated for reuse and upcycling and 29,424 kg for recycling. Useful items like rugs, folders, key rings, pouches, bags and torans are being prepared by the self-help groups from these clothes. The special thing is that along with displaying the finished products at the offering centres, they are also being sold.
Earn money from old clothes too
So far, sales of Rs 27,036 have been recorded from the sale of finished products made of clothes. That is, instead of going straight into the garbage, the old clothes taken out of the home cupboard are getting connected to the link of employment, useful products and environmental protection.
Now preparations for 10 new centers
In view of the increasing popularity of Arpan Centres, there is now a proposal to open 10 more centres. These centers are proposed to be started in January 2027. These include Model Town, INA, IP Extension, Paschim Vihar West, Rajendra Place, Janakpuri West, Rajouri Garden, Greater Kailash, Dwarka Sector-10 and Chhatarpur Metro Station.
CM said – old clothes are getting new life
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said that Delhi Metro’s donation centers are providing a practical solution to the problem of proper disposal of old clothes. Through these, old clothes are being converted into useful products through reusing and recycling. He said that this system can be made more comprehensive with the participation of Delhiites. The government’s effort is to make it easy and convenient for people to donate old clothes and to strengthen the campaign to make Delhi clean, beautiful and green by ensuring their maximum use.