Deepavali is India's festival of lights. But increasingly, it is also the festival of laminated boxes, glittering ribbons, bubble wrap, single-use packaging, and unwanted trinkets. What was once a season of generosity and thoughtful gifting has quietly evolved into one of the largest annual surges of waste in urban India. The spirit of giving remains, but the environmental cost is mounting.
India generates close to 1.6 lakh tonnes of municipal solid waste daily, according to the Swachch Bharat Mission. Of this, just over half is processed. The rest ends up in overflowing landfills or open dumps. During Deepavali week, several cities see sharp spikes in waste generation. In 2023, Nashik collected more than 750 tonnes of additional garbage over the festive week, media reports said. Vadodara saw a 20% jump during the Navratri-Dasara stretch this year. This is not anecdotal; it's measurable seasonal waste inflation driven by gifting, packaging, food, and decor.
Food waste is a silent but significant contributor. According to the UN Food Waste Index, Indian households waste around 55 kilograms of food per person every year. That totals more than 78 million tonnes annually. A large part of this happens during festivals: boxes of sweets that expire unopened, excessive buffets, and "sample platters" that land in bins the next morning. Apart from being a moral failure in a food-insecure nation, decomposing food emits methane, a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide.
Then there's packaging. India's plastic recycling rate remains low, hovering around 13%. Laminated gift wraps, glossy chocolate boxes with metallic finishes, and stryofoam-filled baskets cannot be recycled by local material recovery facilities. These items are visually stunning but environmentally unrecoverable. A single corporate gifting exercise can result in hundreds of hampers made of mixed materials that no existing recycling system can handle.
E-waste is another growing Deepavali phenomenon. Low-cost LED string lights, novelty gadgets, and budget electronics are gifted in massive numbers. India already generates over a million tonnes of e-waste annually. While new rules make producers responsible for collection and recycling, take-back mechanisms remain patchy. Cheap electronics are rarely repairable and often end up in informal landfills within months.
Why this matters
The ecological damage is twofold. First, there's the obvious physical burden with more waste to collect, segregate, and dispose of in cities that already struggle with basic waste management. Second, there is the longer-term environmental cost: microplastics shed from glitter and laminates, methane from rotting food, and toxic leachate from informal e-waste dumps. All of this seeps into soil, air, and water.
Deepavali gifting has evolved with consumerism, but policy and social behaviour have not kept pace. What was once a simple box of homemade sweets wrapped in brown paper has morphed into elaborate hampers flown across cities, often containing imported chocolates, synthetic candles, and plastic-heavy decor.
Custom and consciousness
The question is not whether we should give gifts. Gifting is a beautiful cultural expression of affection and community. The question is how we can align that tradition with ecological responsibility.
Make waste-wise gifting aspirational: societies, corporates, and resident welfare associations can create simple "Deepavali gifting codes": avoid stryofoam, glittered or laminated wrapping, and mixed-material boxes. Opt for compostable packaging, mono-material containers, or reusable tins. Promote gifts that are genuinely useful; artisan-made foods with clear storage guidance, refillable candles, high-quality steel serveware, seed bombs with native species, or experience vouchers. Publicising such codes makes sustainability a badge of pride rather than a restriction.
Tighten policy at key choke points: packaging standards need to be clear and mandatory. Recyclability or compostability labels should be displayed as prominently as nutrition labels. Plastics and papers fused together in laminates should be disallowed. Companies claiming "eco-friendly" status should back it with third-party verified recovery data.
Food waste needs targeted attention. Large events, corporate offices, and apartment complexes can be required to submit food waste plans during the festive season, including partnerships with food redistribution networks. Cities can integrate surplus pickups into existing food rescue programmes, preventing methane emissions and feeding people in need.
E-waste take-back drives should be made visible and accessible during October and November. Retailers can set up collection bins for used string lights and small appliances. Extended producer responsibility credits can reward those who collect before the waste hits landfills.
Strengthen urban infrastructure: cities must plan for October-November surges with additional door-to-door pickups, night-shift sweepers, and decentralised composting units. Where urban local bodies have invested in bio-CNG or composting facilities, post-festival waste overflow is significantly reduced. Infrastructure, not just good intentions, will determine long-term impact.
Price externalities: a modest "festive waste surcharge" on non-compliant packaging, balanced by rebates for eco-friendly alternatives, can influence corporate behaviour quickly. Similarly, residential colonies can offer housekeeping discounts to households that segregate and participate in composting during the season. Economic nudges are often more effective than moral appeals.
Change the cultural narrative: ultimately, culture shifts when storytelling shifts. Media, influencers, and brands can highlight elegant minimalism: the one meaningful gift, the hamper that is entirely recyclable, or the dinner that feeds guests without feeding landfills. When thoughtfulness becomes the new status symbol, behaviour changes follow.
The way forward
This conversation is not about shaming tradition. Deepavali gifting is how India says, "I remember you." But memory doesn't have to be wrapped in plastic. A society that celebrates light can also lead the way in reducing waste. If citizens demand better products, if companies design with that end in mind, and if governments enable the right systems, customs and consciousness can coexist.
Deepavali's brilliance should not leave behind a trail of garbage. With thoughtful action, it can be a festival that lights up homes and protects the planet. That would be a legacy worthy of celebration.
Apsara Reddy is official spokesperson, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam; views expressed are personal