Bandra Joins Mumbaikars’ Movement to Recycle Tetra Pak Cartons

• An initiative by Tetra Pak, supported by RUR Greenlife and Reliance Retail encouraging Mumbaikars to deposit empty cartons at any one of the 175 collection centers spread across Mumbai

• The collected cartons are sent to recyclers and repurposed into school desks, stationery and other useful items

• Target is to collect 8 lakh cartons and reach 200 collection centers by end-2018

• Raising awareness through a comprehensive digital and on-ground campaign - Cartons Le Aao, Classroom Banao

Waste Management is a pressing problem faced by the metropolis today. Tetra Pak, the world's leading food processing and packaging solutions company, supported by RUR Greenlife, is mobilizing more Mumbaikars to join the movement of carton recycling with the launch of the 175th used carton collection centre at ALM 116 Park, Bandra.

Residents around desk made of recycled Tetra Pak cartons

With the aim of adding 25 more collection centers, taking the total number of such centers in Mumbai to 200, the initiative’s core objective is that every used Tetra Pak carton be recycled into useful items. To make this possible through this citizens’ movement - Cartons Le Aao Classroom Banao - Mumbaikars can now head over to a number of collection centers including 45 Reliance Retail and Sahakari Bhandar outlets across the city to deposit their used Tetra Pak cartons. The collected cartons are then recycled into school, stationery and many other useful items creating better learning environment for the lesser privileged. Tetra Pak is also running a comprehensive digital and on-ground campaign to raise awareness about the initiative and inspire Mumbaikars.

Inaugurating the new collection center, Asif Zakharia, Corporator of H West Ward, Bandra says, “Right from waste generators to waste managers, everybody has to take the responsibility for waste management. Through the Cartons Le Aao, Classroom Banao initiative we hope to bring in an impactful change. Each of us individually, are taking responsible measures to spread the awareness and catalyse the carton collection drive. We are encouraging all members and neighbouring societies to deposit used cartons at the ALM 116 Park. We would like to thank the team associated with CLACB for taking compelling steps to multiply and get more people involved in this initiative. It is so beautiful to witness how Tetra Pak cartons can be recycled and transformed into something so useful.”

Buoyed by the local sentiment, Jaideep Gokhale, Communications Director, Tetra Pak South Asia said, “When we started the recycling program more than a decade ago, together with Sahakari Bhandar, Reliance Fresh and RUR Greenlife, we had not envisaged the support that we would receive from the Mumbaikars. Today we are proud to launch our 175^th carton collection centre and plan to reach the 200-center mark by end of the year. What we need now is to raise more awareness among Mumbaikars about the initiative, for which we have launched a comprehensive digital and on-ground campaign - Cartons Le Aao, Classroom Banao -  to inspire more citizens to do their bit.”

Today, Mumbaikars have access to 45 Sahakari Bhandar, Reliance Fresh, Reliance Smart stores and other Public Access Points that they can deposit used cartons at. Additionally, there are 130 Private Access Points like RWAs and schools that collect thousands of cartons every year. Details of the access points can be found here: www.cartonsleaao.com.

Damodar Mall, CEO Reliance Retail, says, “The problem of waste management is massive, and it will take every citizen to do their bit to solve the problem. As a retail organization with presence across the city, we will continue to do everything we can to facilitate this change and make sure that our shoppers adopt recycling as a way of life.”

“We continue to receive queries from citizens across Mumbai, especially young students wanting to know how they can join the recycling program and adopt better waste management practices, and this truly inspires us to keep moving forward. Over the years, thousands of Mumbaikars have become part of this movement and made a meaningful difference to the environment and to the lives of lesser privileged children. I can only imagine the possibilities if all of Mumbai were to join the program,” adds Monisha Narke, Founder of RUR.

If you’d like your RWA/organization/institution to become a collection centre, please write to info@rur.co.in.

About Tetra Pak®

Tetra Pak® is the world's leading food processing and packaging solutions company. Working closely with our customers and suppliers, we provide safe, innovative and environmentally sound products that each day meet the needs of hundreds of millions of people in more than 170 countries. With more than 24,000 employees around the world, we believe in responsible industry leadership and a sustainable approach to business.  Our motto, “PROTECTS WHAT’S GOOD™," reflects our vision to make food safe and available, everywhere.

More information about Tetra Pak® is available at www.tetrapak.com.