Green Solution For Sacred Waste: Developing Eco-Friendly Aromatic Product

The great cultural and spiritual heritage of India produces a tremendous amount of floral waste, mostly from temples. Though the wastes are sacred in nature, proper management is hardly done, thereby causing problems for the environment by polluting water and producing bad gases at the time of its decomposition[1]. For this reason, the current research work has tried to transform temple flower waste into eco-friendly dhoops and incense sticks, thus motivating sustainable development with a circular economy.[2] This project included the collection of flower waste, preprocessing it into usable raw materials, and formulating dhoops and incense sticks using natural binders and essential oils.[3] Different formulations were developed to improve binding strength, burning efficiency, and fragrance while eliminating the use of carbonaceous materials like camphor and charcoal.[4] Natural ingredients like gum benzoin, gugal, and babool gum improved product performance and contributed to eco-friendliness by reducing emissions and ash residue. Results will show that products can be produced from temple flower waste successfully. This means practical waste management and the resultant product is also an environmentally conscious alternative to conventional products.[5] The results of this study can be used to scale up such initiatives and benefit communities by promoting environmental conservation through innovative and green practices.[6]