Cleanliness as Seva: 1,000 Kg Plastic Waste Collected in Kedarnath Within a Week of Yatra

As lakhs of devotees continue to throng Kedarnath Dham during the ongoing Char Dham pilgrimage, an equally significant success story is unfolding behind the scenes — cleanliness.

In a major boost to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s “Green and Plastic-Free Char Dham Yatra” campaign, the Kedarnath Nagar Panchayat has collected and compacted nearly 1,000 kilograms of plastic waste in just the first week of the Yatra. The initiative aligns with the state government’s pre-Yatra push for a plastic-free pilgrimage backed by material recovery centres, compactors and strict waste monitoring.

Most of the waste comprises discarded water bottles, food packaging and other single-use plastic left behind by pilgrims.

3,000 Sq Ft Recovery Facility Set Up Inside Shrine Area

To tackle the mounting waste challenge at the Himalayan shrine, the Nagar Panchayat had already established a 3,000 square foot Material Recovery Facility (MRF) within the temple township before the Yatra began.

Here, plastic waste and other dry waste are being scientifically segregated into 15 separate categories, including plastic, glass, tin, textile and scrap materials. A compactor machine installed at the facility compresses plastic bottles into 30–40 kg bundles, making transportation and resale easier.

Officials say the segregated plastic waste will now be sold to recyclers, generating direct revenue for the Nagar Panchayat.

Waste to Wealth Model Emerging in Kedarnath

According to municipal officials, glass, tin and other recyclable materials are also being collected separately and will later be transported to Sonprayag for disposal and sale as scrap.

This effectively turns Kedarnath’s sanitation drive into a “Waste to Wealth” municipal model, where environmental preservation is also creating an income stream for local civic bodies.

55 Sanitation Workers Deployed in Two Daily Shifts

To ensure the holy shrine remains clean despite unprecedented footfall, the Nagar Panchayat has deployed 55 sanitation workers who carry out intensive cleaning in morning and evening shifts.

Apart from this, the Kedarnath Yatra route is being cleaned by separate agencies under the state government’s broader Green Yatra sanitation plan.

The Kedarnath shrine opened for devotees on April 22, and Chief Minister Dhami had already appealed to pilgrims to actively support a plastic-free Char Dham pilgrimage and avoid littering in Uttarakhand’s fragile Himalayan ecosystem.

PM Modi Also Appeals Against Single-Use Plastic

Prime Minister Narendra Modi too recently urged pilgrims and tourists visiting Uttarakhand to refrain from using and discarding single-use plastic, stressing that preservation of the Himalayan environment is as important as spiritual devotion.

With civic authorities now converting waste management into a disciplined and monetisable operation, Kedarnath is emerging as a powerful example of how “Swachhta bhi Seva hai” can be implemented even in one of India’s most difficult pilgrimage terrains.