Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB) formalised a partnership with the Environment and Climate Change Department, Government of Maharashtra, to strengthen used PET collection and recycling systems across the state. The collaboration announced at Mumbai Climate Week will focus on on-ground awareness, deployment of collection infrastructure, and stakeholder engagement to enable more responsible PET disposal and improved recycling outcomes—marking a step towards building scalable, community-driven plastic waste management systems in Maharashtra.

The campaign will roll out structured PET collection systems, targeted awareness and IEC drives, and year-round engagement with schools, institutions, and urban local bodies (ULBs). The initiative will initially focus on key urban centres, including Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Beed, and Palghar.

Maharashtra continues to face a significant plastic waste management challenge despite relatively high collection efficiency. According to the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) Annual Report 2023-24, the state generated about 4.28 lakh tonnes per annum of plastic waste, of which 3.61 lakh TPA was collected and 3.22 lakh TPA channelised for recycling. However, a sizeable quantity—nearly 68,873 tonnes—still ended up in landfills, indicating gaps in end-to-end material recovery. The burden remains heavily concentrated in major urban regions such as Mumbai, Pune, Nashik, and Thane, reflecting the strong correlation between urbanisation, consumption patterns, and plastic leakage. While Maharashtra has built relatively robust collection systems, the data suggests that improving segregation at source, expanding authorised recycling capacity, and reducing landfill dependency remain critical priorities for achieving a truly circular plastics economy.