Tirumala Tirupati Temple Goes Plastic-Free! Prasad To Be Distributed In Jute Bags Now

Tirumala Tirupati temple is one of the richest in the world. According to reports, it gets an annual donation of Rs 650 crore, and alone makes 11 million dollars (Rs 75,00,00,000) from selling laddoos. But the laddoos are sold in a plastic packaging and now to go green, the temple has adopted an environmental-friendly packaging practice.

According to reports, around 3.5-4 lakh ladoos are sold everyday, this means that around 70,000 plastic covers are used to pack them.

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According to the Times Of India, the temple trust (that manages the temple) has joined hands with the Aditya Birla Group company - Hindalco and Jute Corporation of India - to roll out a project concerning the distribution of prasad in 100% recyclable bags.

These bags are made of jute and reportedly, Hindalco and JCI have already applied for a patent for the process of aluminium foil lamination of jute. For past few months, they have sold around 3 lakh bags. JCI has also opened a 'prasadam distribution centre¡¯ for sale of these bags, so that more people adopt this practice and start using jute bags.

JCI and Hindalco are aiming to gain around Rs 50 crore per annum from the sales of these jute bags at the temple.

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The officials of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, the temple trust, told media that they are trying to encourage the use of non-plastic packaging materials for prasadam packaging by using paper boxes, paper bags and jute bags. TTD additional EO AV Dharma Reddy said that efforts are underway to reduce the use of plastic in a phased manner and make the Tirumala plastic-free.

¡°The jute and aluminium bags for Tirupati laddus are a welcome alternative to plastic bags. They are an Indian innovation and an eco-friendly option for our devotees. With the high demand for prasad, the bags are a good way to reduce plastic pollution,¡± TTD officials told the Times Of India.

This green initiative is not only good for the environment but will also provide employment to thousands of artisans. A good step indeed.