~UNDP and Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages also sign a partnership agreement to launch similar recycling projects in 50 Indian cities~
Goakhabar: Mr. Francis D’Souza, Minister for Urban Devlopment, Mrs. Christina Ruggiero, CEO, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB) Pvt. Ltd., Ms Marina Walter, Country Head at United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Mr. Ravi Jha, Secretary, Environment and Mr. Sudheer Mahajan, Secretary Urban Development launched a plastic waste recycling program in Goa that aims to collect, process and recycle used plastic. An estimated 4-5 tonnes of plastic is likely to be collected every day through this project. The collected plastic will be converted into useful products like T-shirts, fabric, backpacks, etc. and the hard to recycle low end plastics like carry bags, laminates etc. shall be used to manufacture compressed boards, co- incineration in cement kilns, road laying and pyrolysis. Mr. P.S. Reddy, Secretary, Panchayats, Rural Development and Factory & Boilers, Smt. Menaka, Director, Urban Development were also presented for the launch initiative.
This multi-stakeholder partnership is a result of an initiative by UNDP India and Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages to support sustainable plastic waste management practices across 50 Indian cities, while improving the socio-economic conditions of waste-pickers, especially women. Through this critical partnership, the aim is to better manage over 85,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year and improve the lives of 37,500 waste-pickers, or safaii mitras.
The UNDP India – HCCB partnership aims to create a model that ensures a circular economy for plastic waste by generating value out of used plastic, thereby reducing litter. Plastics, because of its many attractive properties, such as lightweight, high strength and ease of processing, meet a large share of the materials needs of man, at a comparatively lesser cost thereby causing lesser environmental implications. However, a general callousness towards disposal and recycling of used plastic, is leading to this most useful material ending up in landfills or by the roadside.
In Goa, UNDP India and HCCB will partner with the Goa Waste Management Corporation – the Government of Goa’s nodal agency to manage all matters related to waste, including plastic waste, to create a sustainable value chain in plastic recycling. In Goa, the initiative will do the following:
- Upgrade current plastic waste recycling infrastructure
- Organize waste pickers or safaii mitras under a formal programme
- Establish recyclers for all seven types of plastic waste
- Build collaboration with municipal corporations
- Undertake awareness programmes on waste segregation and plastic recycling
- Implement a full-scale technology platform to monitor progress of the project
The project will be rolled out first in select areas of Goa and subsequently, will be scaled up.
Mr Sanjit Rodrigues, Managing Director, Goa Waste Management Corporation (GWMC), in his keynote at the launch of the project, said, “It is a welcome initiative to establish circularity in plastic waste management and holds immense promise in tackling the plastic management issue in the state”.
Speaking at the launch event, Mrs. Marina Walter, Country Director, a.i, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said, “Through this initiative, we want to demonstrate sustainable plastic waste management practices that will encourage segregation, collection and recycling of plastic, in line with the Government of India’s Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, and the Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission.”
According to Mrs. Christina Ruggiero, CEO, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd., “One of the first things that I noticed about India is our ability to generate wealth from waste and the resultant value chain that can be set up around this process. PET is one of those game changing innovations of humankind that made our lives very convenient and it has a significant post-use value. However, all the partners that have got together in this project, realise that we need to orchestrate an environment that encourages responsible use of plastic and also ensure its post-use recovery. We have made a beginning on what could potentially be a model that be scaled up multiple times. I thank UNDP and GWMC in particular for leading the way.”
About Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB) Pvt Ltd
Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd, is one of India’s largest FMCG manufacturing and distribution companies. It is responsible for the manufacture, package, sale and distribution of beverages under the trademarks of The Coca-Cola Company. A network of 4,000 distributors and over 2 million retail outlets distribute the high quality, great tasting beverages manufactured by Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages.
HCCB launched its first plastic recycling project in Bangalore in partnership with M/s Sahaas Zero Waste and then later in Hyderabad with M/s Waste Ventures, in April 2018. This was followed by the Mumbai Launch in May 2018 partnering Indian Centre For Plastics in the Environment (ICPE).This launch in Goa brings HCCB a step closer to fulfilling its goal of initiating recycling programs in 50 major cities. HCCB intends to create an environment where every player in the recycling value chain, starting from the waste collectors to recyclers are connected. These integrated recycling programs shall be established through multi stakeholder partnerships to create an end-to-end ecosystem for plastic recycling in the country.
About United Nations Development Programme
UNDP works in almost 170 countries and territories, helping achieve the eradication of poverty, and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion. We help countries develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities and build resilience in order to sustain development results.
UNDP has worked in India since 1951 in almost all areas of human development, from democratic governance to poverty eradication, to sustainable energy and environmental management. UNDP’s programmes are aligned with national priorities and are reviewed and adjusted annually.