PepsiCo India commits to collect over 8,00,000 kgs of multi layered plastic in West Bengal

PepsiCo India in partnership with a waste management firm - Nepra, announces its commitment to collect over 8,00,000 kgs of multi layered plastic in West Bengal by end of this year. In addition to that, PepsiCo & Nepra today launched a first of its kind, waste management education programme with the leading schools in Kurseong, Darjeeling. Launched today at St. Alphonsus School, the programme involves creating awareness around dry waste management amongst students, faculty and school members. Over 600 students from 10 schools have signed up for the programme, where each week they will donate post-consumer multi layered plastic (MLP) at dedicated collections points in their schools.

The programme was inaugurated by Debashish Chattopadhyay, Sub-divisional Officer, Darjeeling and Krishna Limboo, Chairman, Kurseong Municipality.

As part of the programme, workshops will be conducted as per Nepra’s designed education tool kit to create awareness in schools and sensitise student councils about the different types of plastic and how they can be recycled and recovered. Following a peer-learning methodology, these student councils will further educate their classmates, all done and under the supervision of a teacher, as part of plastic waste collection day. PepsiCo India and Nepra  will also develop ‘Eco-Clubs’ in schools drive awareness amongst students through competitions and paper presentations. Every month the progress of each school will be tracked, and schools leading the drive will earn rewards and certificates.

Commenting on the launch of the programme, Debashish Chattopadhyay, Sub Divisional Officer, Kurseong, Darjeeling District, said, “I am delighted to inaugurate such a unique education initiative. Kurseong is one of the leading tourist destinations in India and such initiatives will ensure it remains cleaner and greener. He further added that the use of new technology and awareness initiatives around waste management will help in managing the issue of waste and channel it into an asset for Kurseong.

Elucidating on PepsiCo India’s Sustainable Plastics Vision, Samir Pathak, AMENA Corporate Affairs Director – Sustainability, said “At PepsiCo, we have been striving to build a world where plastic never becomes waste. With our various recycling initiatives, we are doing our bit to make sustainable plastics a reality. The main idea behind this association is to help provide our future generations with the knowledge of waste management. We are thrilled to announce our partnership with NEPRA through which we aim to collect more than 800,000 kg of multi-layer packaging in West Bengal.” Adding further, Samir said, “As a company, we have been actively working across multiple states to collect, segregate, & sustainably manage equivalent of 100 percent of our plastic packaging by 2021. Further, our target is to make 100 percent of our packaging recyclable, compostable, or biodegradable by 2025.”

Nepra is delighted to associate with PepsiCo India, said, Sandeep Patel, CEO of NEPRA, “Nepra is happy to inform that its association with PepsiCo since 2018 has been fruitful to work towards the aim of achieving ‘Zero Waste to Landfill’. Nepra works with several leading brands and with PepsiCo it’s now initiating its first of its kind, waste management education school program in the state of West Bengal. Through this project, Nepra and PepsiCo aim to work towards solving the larger issue of MLP disposal. Nepra and PepsiCo are now proactively working on different programs for MLP disposal in 6 states- West Bengal, Kerala, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Nepra is delighted for its association with PepsiCo in such a transformative initiative.”

How will the programme work:

Plastic Waste (MLP) to be deposited by students every week at dedicated collection centres in each school.
PepsiCo India and NEPRA will be in constant contact with participating schools to help them recognise pro-active students, who will be rewarded with a Zero waste to landfill badge and certificates during school assemblies.
Schools that collect most waste will be rewarded in the form of points that can be redeemed against supporting a social cause, sponsoring a child of a waste picker or in exchange of recycled stationery.

The initiative will help form an intra-city community of students from different schools, working towards efficient waste management and an effective socio-economic-environmental impact.  After Kurseong, PepsiCo India and Nepra plan to expand the waste management education initiative to all the schools in the Darjeeling district. The MLP collected will be channelled to cement plants for recovery and collectively make a significance difference in the state.