Mumbai: Recycling of packaging material into something useful and lasting for the community is an initiative that represents the kind of sustainable thinking Mumbai needs, said Jeetendra V Pardeshi, Superintendent of Gardens, BMC.
“Such partnerships can bring sustainability into public spaces, and the public can actively participate in this transformation,” Pardeshi said on Thursday, about a set of garden benches, made entirely from recycled Tetra Pak cartons, that were donated to Patwardhan Park in Bandra.
The inauguration of the benches marked the start of a campaign to collect used beverage cartons, launched to mark World Environment Day by BMC, the Rotary Club of Bombay Mid City, and Tetra Pak India along with RUR Greenlife.
In its first phase, the initiative aims to collect 2.5 lakh used cartons from across the city, which will be recycled into 25 garden benches to be installed in selected public parks.
The event was attended by assistant municipal commissioner Dinesh Pallewad, former corporator Swapna Mhatre, deputy superintendent of gardens Dnyandev Mundhe, sustainability manager at Tetra Pak South Asia Kamlesh Kholiya Rotarian Ajay Mishra.
“At Tetra Pak, we believe that sustainability is a shared responsibility,” said Kholiya. “The Carton Recycling Relay turns citizens into changemakers. By transforming used cartons into public assets, we’re fostering circularity and strengthening community engagement.”
A life-size, carton-shaped collection bin will now travel across prominent locations in the city, encouraging schools, housing societies, businesses, and individuals to deposit their used beverage cartons.
More than 50 drop-off points are already available across Reliance Retail and Sahakari Bhandar stores across Mumbai to make participation accessible for all. The relay will travel across key Mumbai locations, mobilising schools, RWAs, and workplaces.
“Sustainability is one of the seven pillars of Rotary’s thrust area and we always work around issues related to the protection of the environment,” said Ajay Mishra, president, Rotary Club of Bombay Midcity.
The initiative is being implemented on-ground by RUR Greenlife, a long-standing Tetra Pak partner known for its work in waste management and citizen-led recycling.
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