The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is in the process of choosing five gardens to present innovative plans to recycle waste and generate awareness concerning air quality. The programme will be executed under the Central government’s National clean air programme. One of the factors that influence air quality is solid waste, particularly construction and demolition waste, waste burning, littering, among others. Officials told the media that the PMC plans to generate awareness amongst the citizens on the relationship between air quality and solid waste. The gardens will be from Kothrud, Katraj, Yerawada, Hadapsar and Sinhagad road areas. The central government has rendered at least Rs 80 crore for the programme to the Pune region, which covers Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), PMC and cantonment boards. Ashok Ghorpade, chief garden superintendent, PMC, told the media that it is a unique idea to utilise waste material to create statues, models, objects, which can be displayed in gardens. It will assist in spreading a message among the masses regarding measures to control air pollution. Shrikrishna Dixit, a junior engineer of the solid waste department, told the media that PMC obtained funds from the Central government to execute the programme. The civic body has decided to utilise waste or scrap material to generate awareness and has invited an expression of interest. The PMC has appealed to concerned persons and agencies to offer conceptual thoughts for utilising the space innovatively to generate awareness on air quality and its relationship with solid waste. It involves incorporating recycled waste as part of the creative process. A movable or portable creative will be preferred, and creative should adhere to Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) or CPCB guidelines and Solid Waste Management Rules (SWM) rules 2016. Image Source Also read: Pune civic body plans to install 40 garbage collection ATMs