LAUSR

Abstract Flowers are regularly used in religious places, for celebrating various social occasions as well as used as a raw material in different industries which generate large quantities of waste. However, the management of this floral waste (FW) is poorly addressed all over the globe. Improper disposal of such waste creates an array of environmental and human health problems. Presently, in most places, FW is simply thrown without proper exploitation. Recycling and reusing such organic waste for the production of various chemicals and value-added products is a promising way to solve the problem of heaping FW. Although the major focus of recycling FW is emphasized on generating biofertilizers, incense and dyes, there are various other opportunities like the generation of biofuels, food supplements and activated carbon which can help in further utilization of the waste. The current paper aims to give a detailed account of the availability of FW and its characteristics, the extractable value-added chemicals, their applications and various technologies for commercial utilization of this waste.