2020-09-15
INDIA
Tetra Pak and Waste Warriors partner to increase collection and recycling of used beverage cartons in Uttarakhand
Dehradun, India, September, 2020 – Tetra Pak, a world leading food processing and packaging solutions company has tied up with Waste Warriors, a well-known solid waste management NGO, to increase collection of used beverage cartons (UBCs) in Dehradun and nearby areas of Uttarakhand. With this partnership, Tetra Pak’s collection network now includes 31 cities and 14 Indian Army cantonments, covering 22 states and Union Territories. Waste Warriors will be the 30th collection partner for Tetra Pak, helping increase collection of UBCs across the country.
To encourage collection of UBCs, Tetra Pak and Waste Warriors will work on raising awareness among the waste-picker community, about the value they can derive from collecting UBCs and selling them to a recycler. The collected cartons will be sent to Khatema Fibres Ltd, a local paper-mill for recycling. Khatema Fibres has been a recycling partner of Tetra Pak since 2013. Speaking about the initiative, Jaideep Gokhale, Sustainability Director, Tetra Pak South Asia said, “At Tetra Pak, we have spent the past 16 years building a strong recycling ecosystem in India. Today over 40% cartons sold in India are recycled and we are committed to keep increasing this significantly. Our partnership with Waste Warriors is yet another positive step in this direction. The first and foremost challenge is to collect used cartons for recycling which in turn relies on greater awareness about the value of used cartons among the waste-picker community and on the public who must segregate waste at source. Combined with the effort of the local government and the collection support of partners like Waste Warriors, we look forward to make Dehradun a cleaner, greener city.”
In addition to working closely with the waste-picker community, Waste Warriors will help increase awareness about waste segregation and recyclability of paper-based beverage cartons among consumers. In order to help consumers return their used cartons for recycling, Tetra Pak and Waste Warriors will also set up ‘drop-off points’ or ‘Gullaks’ at public and private locations across the city.
Avinash Singh, CEO, Waste Warriors said, “Waste Management is a pressing problem faced by the residents in Dehradun and our endeavour is to develop sustainable solid waste management systems to address the issue. Recyclable, paper-based beverage cartons are a great resource for recyclers, and all we need is an efficient system to collection the used cartons. Through this partnership with Tetra Pak, we are confident that will be able to help address the issue of waste management, support recycling of the used cartons and also help augment livelihoods of local waste-pickers in the process. A win-win for everyone involved.”
Tetra Pak along with partners has been working towards creating the robust recycling ecosystem for paper-based carton packages in the country over the past 16 years. Tetra Pak cartons are primarily paper-based, with over 70% of the Tetra Pak carton being made from paperboard. The cartons can be recycled into paper products, panel boards, industrial pallets, roof sheets, school desks and more.
