PepsiCo India in partnership with The Social Lab (TSL) has announced the expansion of Tidy Trails, an initiative focused on education and awareness around plastic circularity in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. With the support of Agra Nagar Nigam, the initiative will share best practices with shopping establishments to support plastic waste management and recycling in the city.
As part of the initiative, a dedicated mobile van has been deployed to visit local shops across Agra, collecting post-consumer plastic waste from over 500 shopping establishments across five market associations. In the first month of the pilot, over 50kgs of plastic waste collected on average daily and sent for recycling. Over 500 specially branded dustbins were also distributed to the shopping establishments to mark the launch.
In line with the company’s pep+ (PepsiCo Positive) commitment, PepsiCo India has launched various initiatives around plastic waste management in Uttar Pradesh to help build a world where plastic never becomes waste. Under the Tidy Trails initiative, all plastic waste collected from shops will go to waste collectors for segregation and later will be recycled and converted into useful items like benches and chairs, to be distributed across parks and offices of Agra. To commemorate the launch, PepsiCo India will also distribute 60 benches made of plastic, recycled with 21-century Polymers, for installation in Agra.
Addressing virtually, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Government of India said, “The challenge of plastic pollution demands a collective effort, where public and private sectors work together for common good. By combining the innovation and resources of the private sector, the administrative strength of the government and public responsibility, we can forge a path towards a cleaner, greener India. We congratulate PepsiCo India and The Social Lab (TSL) for bringing an initiative like Tidy Trails to Agra, after its successful launch in Mathura, and wish them all the best.”
Tidy Trails initiative was launched in Mathura-Vrindavan in September 2021 with the vision to encourage and empower local citizens of the city to keep their environment clean and set an example to inspire all members of communities. As part of the program, 25,000 kgs of plastic was collected from 800 establishments across the city and involved 70 municipal wards. Through various awareness drives, events, nukkad-nataks, and competitions, the initiative successfully reached 6.2 lakh people with a focus on driving behavioral change toward responsible plastic waste management.
