‘Old Clothes Donation Project’ launched to create livelihood opportunities for women

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and the DMRC Ladies Welfare Organisation (DLWO) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Delhi government’s State Urban Livelihood Mission (SULM) and textile recycling organisations Clothes Box Foundation and Respun in the presence of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.

The initiative aims to prevent old and used clothes from ending up in landfills, reduce textile waste, and promote a circular economy through recycling and upcycling.

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The Chief Minister said the Delhi government is committed to promoting environmental conservation, effective waste management and women’s empowerment. The initiative will not only help reduce textile waste but also encourage citizens to become active partners in building a cleaner and more sustainable Delhi.

DMRC Managing Director Dr. Vikas Kumar and representatives of the partner organisations were also present on the occasion.

As part of the project, collection centres named ‘Arpan’ will be set up at 10 Delhi Metro stations to collect unused clothes from households. Kiosks will also be installed for the sale of recycled and upcycled products. In the first phase, Arpan centres will be launched over the next few days at Shahdara, Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Malviya Nagar, Hauz Khas, Dwarka, Mohan Estate, Lajpat Nagar, Mayur Vihar Phase-1, Punjabi Bagh West and Shalimar Bagh Metro stations. Citizens will be able to donate their old clothes at these centres from 7 am to 7 pm.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the collected clothes would be sorted under different categories. The first category will include the garments that can be upcycled by Self-Help Groups into bags, decorative items and other useful products. The second category will consist of clothes that are completely unusable and will be recycled into new products and raw materials.

In addition, clothes used for religious rituals and other sacred materials will also be respectfully reused and recycled to ensure that people’s sentiments are honoured.

Rekha Gupta said the government is also developing separate solutions for damaged idols, plastic waste and other forms of waste.

She expressed confidence that if scientific and systematic solutions are developed for every type of waste, Delhi can be freed from many of these complex challenges. With 10 Arpan Kendras being established initially the initiative will eventually be expanded across all parts of Delhi.

The Chief Minister said the project is an innovative step towards reducing textile pollution, promoting sustainable lifestyles and creating new employment opportunities for women.

She further said that the Delhi government aims to build systems where environmental protection and economic development move forward together.