Coca-Cola India and Reliance Retail have launched a sustainability initiative called “BhoolNaJana, Plastic Bottle Lautana”, focusing on post-consumer PET collection at Mumbai-based stores using Reverse Vending Machines and collection bins. With a vision for a circular economy, this pilot project, aligned with the Government’s Swachh Bharat Mission, has commenced in 36 stores of Reliance Retail including Smart Bazaar and Sahakari Bhandar stores in Mumbai and Delhi, and will expand to 200 stores across the country by 2025 with a target of collecting 5,00,000PET bottles annually in the pilot phase.
The initiative was launched in the presence of Kazi Irfan, Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Solid Waste Management, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), at Reliance Retail’s Smart Bazaar store in Santa Cruz. Ms. Greishma Singh, Vice President – Customer and Commercial Leadership, Coca Cola India and Southwest Asia said, “Partnerships with retail, government, civic societies, and consumer-centric ideas like this one are a powerful multiplier for progress on collection, recycling, and reuse.”
The installed RVMs and collection bins will give consumers a convenient way to deposit used PET bottles in exchange for compelling discounts on Coca-Cola India products. Reliance Industries (RIL) will collect and recycle disposed PET bottles, promoting responsible waste management and facilitating smooth waste collection, thereby transitioning consumers from a traditional linear economy to a more sustainable one.
