Pune Launches Contest To Collect Used Plastic Bottles, Aims To Raise Awareness About Waste Management

In order to raise public awareness about plastic and electronic waste, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has launched a contest to collect used plastic bottles from around the city. Anyone across the city can participate in the contest, including schools and organisations.

According to Asha Raut, head of the PMC solid waste department, the goal of this competition is to raise public awareness about the management of e-waste and plastic waste. The PMC has established collection points in 75 different locations across the city. Citizens can return the Arogya Kothis bottles to any regional ward office.

“The PMC will use the collected bottles to create attractive murals, paver blocks and interlocking blocks. These materials will get used in the city itself,” Raut said.

The competition will run until February 28, with the PMC identifying five Arogya Kothis in each ward office to collect bottles. The civic body will keep track of the bottles that are deposited. Citizens and groups can turn in their collected bottles every Sunday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Zero Waste System & Sustainability

Participants must collect used bottles from various locations throughout the city rather than from any food and beverage or recycling facility. The PMC has encouraged housing societies, Ganesh mandals, and even schools to actively participate in this contest, reported Hindustan Times.

Earlier this month, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) received recognition at the International Zero Waste Cities Conference 2023, which was held in Manila, Philippines, and was organised by the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA). During the conference, the 15-year partnership between Pune Municipal Corporation and SWaCH Cooperative was highlighted for its ongoing efforts to build an inclusive zero waste system with the city's waste pickers to solve this crisis sustainably.

Pune joined around 40 other cities in signing the Global Methane Pledge to help present to the world zero-waste models developed by Asian cities based on trash segregation, at-source wet waste management, and waste picker-led material recovery. The effective zero waste plan devised by the Pune Municipal Corporation and SWaCH garbage pickers will be recognised as an ideal working model for other cities to establish improved waste management systems.

Also Read: Pune Municipal Corporation Honored At Zero Waste Cities Global Event