UNDP India launches campaign to drive inclusive circular economy

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Monday launched a campaign to drive an inclusive circular economy as part of its initiative to promote sustainability. The initiative focuses on end-to-end management of plastic waste by promoting the segregation of waste at source, collection of the segregated waste, and setting up Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) for recycling all kinds of plastic waste along the value chain, UNDP said in a statement.

The partnership with Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) will also help build the capacities of Urban Local Bodies for adopting the MRFs or Swachhata Kendra model for plastic and dry waste management in other cities, it said.

Further, to ensure better waste management and recycling of plastic waste, the project will also reach out to 100,000 households for segregation at source, it added.


"Plastic waste is one of the most concerning challenges of our times. The plastic waste management programme promotes an innovative multi-stakeholder model between municipal corporations, corporates, Safai Saathis, and people to work together for cleaner and greener cities," Shoko Noda, Resident Representative, UNDP India, said.

It also gives Safai Saathis, the face behind the country's waste management system, a stable income, and dignified lives, she said.

The project is a scale-up of existing partnership under UNDP's flagship Plastic Waste Management Programme, it said.

To date, the UNDP-HUL partnership has reached out to 100,000 households on source segregation, diverted 8,000 MTs of plastic waste from landfills, and operationalised three model Swachhta Kendras in Mumbai, it added.