On the occasion of Children's Day, Bisleri International collaborated with youth changemakers of Delhi to drive the cause of appropriate plastic segregation, disposal, and recycling under its flagship sustainable program - Bottles For Change. As a part of the initiative, the organization has partnered with Connecting Dreams Foundation and Bharati College, affiliated with Delhi University, to mobilize college students in Delhi and drive a movement by creating awareness about used plastic and building a plastic circular economy. The program was launched at Bharati College today through a ribbon-cutting ceremony of the recyclable benches made from MLP plastic by Kumar Abhishek, IAS deputy commissioner, west zone, MCD & Nodal Officer Swachh Bharat Mission.  

The partnership aims to sensitize students about the 3R principle of circular economy, i.e. Recover, Recycle and Reuse. The objective is to value plastic as a raw material and not consider it a waste, thus, bringing a behavioral change by ensuring appropriate disposal of plastic and preventing it from entering landfills.  

Speaking at the event, chief guest Kumar Abhishek, IAS deputy commissioner, west zone, MCD & Nodal Officer Swachh Bharat Mission, said, "Waste management is a critical issue that needs to be addressed. Creating awareness of responsible ways to dispose of and recycle used plastic is essential. Since the youth are our future, we need to start sensitizing them at a young age by educating them about plastic waste management and being able to build a circular economy. This association of Bisleri International with the youth is a step towards encouraging the young minds to understand the importance of used plastic like we see with the benches being transformed and repurposed innovatively."  

Speaking about the association, Angelo George, chief executive officer, Bisleri International, said, "We aim to collaborate with citizens, especially the youth, to achieve our common goal of building a circular economy. We want to build a powerful network of influential changemakers passionate about sustainability and committed to driving transformational change across the country. Through this initiative, we will continue to underline the importance of responsible disposal and recycling of used plastic to redefine plastics' outlook from waste to wealth."  

Rekha Sapra, principal, Bharati College, Ganesh SGM Sustainability and OSR, Bisleri International, Ashish Jain, director - Indian Pollution Control Association (IPCA) and Amit Tuteja, founder, Connecting Dreams Foundation India were present. The occasion concluded with a vote of thanks presented by Dr.KalpanaKataria Co-convenor, CDF, Bharati Chapter, and was followed by an exhibition on plastic waste management.  

Bisleri International has collected and recycled more than 6000 tons of plastic as part of the Bottles for Change program. The campaign has helped bring behavioral shifts among 600,000 citizens. It has over 2700 housing societies, 600 educational institutions, 500 corporates, and 500 Hotels, and restaurants registered under this program that are disposing of used plastic. Currently, the Bottles for Change program is running in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Chennai and will soon expand its reach to Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Pune.