Undoubtedly, the amount of waste produced in India has been increasing significantly over the years. And the management of that waste continues to be a challenge even for government bodies who are trying their best to encourage India to ‘Go Green’. Though, increase in awareness can be observed among the people who have considered waste management, along with recycling, there is still a long way to go when it comes to real action and behavioural change. This is also the reason why despite waste management and recycling related policies being introduced several times, the implementation of the same has been limited. As the challenges continue to grow, it’s time we take the matter more seriously and take necessary action and help build a greener future for generations to come.
We recently came across an inspiring initiative that is trying to raise awareness and bring behavioural change in Mumbaikars towards adopting green practices.

‘Cartons Le Aao, Classroom Banao’ by Tetra Pak

Cartons Le Aao, Classroom Banao is an initiative by Tetra Pak India, and is an extension of the existing Go Green programme that has been active since 2010. The program was started as a step towards protecting natural resources and at the same time using them to empower the lesser privileged children.

Tetra Pak India and RUR Greenlife (Mumbai-based environment enterprise) recycle the used Tetra Pak cartons into desks, notebooks, roofing sheets and entire classrooms. This recycling initiative is an 8-year-old programme, spread across Mumbai. Till date, they have collected over 26 lakh cartons and donated more than 250 desks to schools for the lesser privileged.

Here’s how it works

You may already be aware that Tetra Pak cartons are primarily paper-based and every part of them is recyclable. Each time you deposit a used Tetra Pak carton at one of the 175 collection centres across Mumbai, the deposited cartons are collected from these centres and sent to a recycler. These cartons are then shredded into smaller pieces which are then laid out in a press and compacted under high pressure and temperature to make what is called a composite sheet. These recycled composite sheets are used to make classroom desks, notebooks, and other interesting products.

Here’s what a classroom made of recycled cartons looks like

Amazing, isn’t it? Imagine if we all were to contribute, what a revolution we could bring.

How can you participate?

Simple. You can begin participating in this initiative by recycling your used Tetra Pak cartons and depositing them at Sahakari Bhandar, Reliance Fresh, and Reliance Smart stores, and over 130 other locations across Mumbai.

Think how you can assist a child’s education by simply recycling a Tetra Pak carton.

Cartons Le Aao, Classroom Banao.