Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has established a Textile Recovery Facility (TRF) in Belapur under the Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban 2.0. The facility focuses on systematic textile waste collection, sorting, and recycling. It also supports livelihood generation through community participation.
India generates nearly 7.8 million metric tonnes of post-consumer textile waste annually, covering a wide range of materials used across households, institutions, and industries. This includes sarees, uniforms, denim, and household textiles, which form a significant part of urban waste. In response, cities are exploring structured systems for textile recovery, reuse, and recycling, aligned with circular economy practices.
Under the Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban 2.0, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has set up India’s first Municipal Textile Recovery Facility (TRF) in Belapur, Navi Mumbai. The initiative is designed to address textile waste through a system that integrates decentralised collection, sorting processes, traceability, and livelihood generation.
The TRF operates as a comprehensive system rather than a standalone collection centre. Collection begins through decentralised infrastructure, with 140 textile bins installed across housing societies in all 8 municipal wards. The current phase aims to expand this to 250 bins to improve accessibility and participation.
At the interim facility in Belapur, set up in a repurposed urban health centre, collected textiles are processed through scientific sorting and traceability systems. Materials are weighed, tagged, and categorised into reusable, recyclable, upcyclable, down cyclable, and reject streams. The use of the KOSHA handheld scanner enables fibre identification, including cotton, polycotton, polyester, wool, and silk, supporting classification and recovery processes.
A digital tracking system is under development through a dedicated MIS platform to track materials from collection to end-use. After identification, textiles are segregated by fabric type, colour, and condition, followed by sanitisation before further processing.
Recovered textiles are converted into products such as bags, mats, accessories, apparel, and home décor items. These are produced by women from self-help groups and later presented at exhibitions.
More than 300 women have completed 8-day Training-of-Trainers (ToT) programmes covering fibre identification, sorting protocols, repair, and upcycling. Over 150 women are currently engaged in activities such as sorting, stitching, and product development, earning between ₹9,000 and ₹15,000 per month.
The facility has processed 30 MT of post-consumer textile waste, with 25.5 MT sorted. More than 41,000 items have been handled at an average rate of nearly 500 items per day. Outreach activities have reached over 1,14,575 families, with more than 75 IEC workshops conducted and 350+ society representatives involved. The initiative has also developed over 400 upcycled product samples, including a pilot batch of paper made from rejected textile waste.
To support awareness and market access, the TRF has participated in over 30 exhibitions and public events. These activities have contributed to awareness on textile reuse and recycling while providing opportunities for product display and sales.
Initial implementation challenges included resistance to bin placement, limited awareness of segregation practices, and difficulties in sorting mixed fibres. These were addressed through phased implementation, awareness programmes, coordination among stakeholders, and the use of fibre-scanning technology.
Following the interim facility in Belapur, plans are in place to develop a permanent, higher-capacity Textile Recovery Facility in Koparkhairane near Nisarg Udyan.
The TRF initiative aligns with Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban 2.0, Smart Cities Mission, and Sustainable Development Goal 12, which focuses on responsible consumption and production.