Volunteers remove plastic waste, collect surplus offerings at Perur Padithurai during Aadi Perukku

Volunteers from four colleges collected around two tonnes of surplus edible offerings, 300 kg of plastic waste and four tonnes of organic waste during a cleanliness drive at Perur Padithurai in Coimbatore on the occasion of Aadi Perukku on Monday.

Thousands of devotees gathered at the bathing ghat to perform rituals in memory of their ancestors. As part of the annual observance, devotees offered fruits, sweets and other edible items and prayed for the well-being and prosperity of their families. To prevent wastage of the offerings and pollution of the riverbank, volunteers collected the surplus offerings and segregated the waste generated during the event.

The edible offerings were handed over to the No Food Waste organisation for distribution to people in need. The Perur Town Panchayat supported the sanitation work.