The Punaravartan campaign to collect clay sludge after the immersion of clay Ganesh idols during the Ganesh Chaturthi campaign was initiated by eCoexist Foundation in 2020 during the Covid lockdown. In 2023 the campaign has grown to be launched in 8 cities across 4 states of India and collected over 25 tons of clay altogether that has been sent back to artisans for reuse. This work brought together nearly 30 organisations and also engaged the municipal corporations of Pune, Thane and Ahmedabad. The vision of Punaravartan is to achive a zero waste Ganesh festival where each material used in the festival is appropriately reused or recycled.
In 2024, the collection crossed 57000 kg between Pune, Pimpri and Thane cities. It was endorsed by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board and by the Chief Minister himself. 43 cities across Maharashtra were instructed to implement Punaravartan during Ganesh utsav.
