Strengthening PET Collection in Maharashtra Through Structured Collaboration

Sustainable waste management is most effective when awareness, infrastructure, and regulatory alignment move together. Structured systems create clarity. Clear responsibilities enable accountability. And long-term coordination ensures that initiatives extend beyond individual campaigns.

With this approach in mind, we at HCCB have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Environment and Climate Change Department, Government of Maharashtra. The MoU, signed in February 2026 during Mumbai Climate Week, establishes a defined framework to strengthen food-grade PET collection and support responsible recycling pathways across key regions of the state.

The agreement outlines responsibilities, identifies focus geographies, and sets out a structured pathway for implementation and review.

Maharashtra’s Urban Landscape and the Importance of Structure

Maharashtra brings together some of India’s most dynamic urban centres. Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Pune, and Nashik are major economic hubs. Regions such as Panvel, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Beed, and Palghar continue to grow in scale and activity.

In environments like these, retail outlets, hospitality establishments, institutions, workplaces, and public spaces interact at high volume. PET packaging moves through these ecosystems daily. Supporting systematic collection in such settings requires coordination across multiple stakeholders.

India’s Plastic Waste Management Rules and Extended Producer Responsibility guidelines provide a national regulatory framework. Within that context, structured state-level implementation becomes essential. Our collaboration with the Environment and Climate Change Department is designed to support this implementation through defined roles and measurable execution across identified regions of Maharashtra.

What the MoU Establishes

The Memorandum of Understanding outlines a shared objective: strengthening end-to-end used PET recovery systems through awareness, infrastructure, and responsible routing.

The collaboration focuses on:

• Building statewide awareness around responsible PET disposal
  
  
• Developing Information, Education and Communication materials tailored to Maharashtra’s context
  
  
• Promoting a Clean Food-Grade Used PET Collection Drive on a year-round basis
  
  
• Introducing dedicated disposal bin systems to support systematic collection
  
  
• Ensuring that collected PET is routed to authorised recyclers
  
  

The identified geographies include Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Panvel, Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Beed, and Palghar.

The MoU clearly states that the arrangement is non-financial in nature. Each party bears its own costs in relation to its scope of work. The emphasis is operational coordination and structured delivery.

Our Role: Designing and Delivering the Programme

Under the MoU, we are responsible for the design and on-ground execution of the PET collection and awareness initiative.

• Programme Design

We are designing the campaign framework, including timelines, target audiences, and priority locations. This includes identifying high-footfall areas such as markets, tourist locations, public spaces, schools, and events. Implementation partners such as NGOs, Resident Welfare Associations, waste management agencies, and communication partners are finalised as part of this planning phase.

Clear programme design ensures that infrastructure and awareness efforts are aligned from the outset.

• Deployment of Resources

We are deploying the resources required to support structured implementation. These include:

• Development and distribution of IEC materials
• Mobilisation of manpower and volunteers
• Organisation of awareness events and activations
• Installation of collection infrastructure such as bins, cages, reverse vending machines, and balers where applicable
• Provision of appropriate visibility materials for the initiative

The objective is to ensure that communication and physical systems reinforce each other.

2) On-Ground Execution

Execution includes conducting awareness sessions, roadshows, and institutional programmes across schools and colleges. Dedicated PET collection points are being established at strategic locations, with separate bins to support clean segregation of used PET.

The MoU specifies that we are responsible for ensuring segregation, safe storage, and movement of collected PET to authorised recyclers. This routing is central to supporting responsible recycling practices within the regulatory framework.

• Reporting and Review

A defined reporting structure is built into the collaboration. We are tracking:

• Quantities of PET collected
• Number of awareness activities conducted
• Estimated reach across citizens, students, and institutions

Periodic progress reports form part of the review process outlined in the MoU. This ensures transparency and enables course correction where required.

The Role of the Environment and Climate Change Department

The Environment and Climate Change Department provides regulatory guidance, institutional coordination, and oversight support to strengthen implementation.

As part of this collaboration, the Department is:

• Providing regulatory endorsement and aligning the initiative with Plastic Waste Management Rules and EPR guidelines
  
  
• Facilitating coordination with Urban Local Bodies and relevant departments
  
  
• Supporting awareness efforts through co-branded IEC materials
  
  
• Participating in key launch events and review meetings
  
  
• Reviewing progress reports and offering guidance where required
  
  

This division of responsibilities ensures that execution is supported by institutional alignment and oversight.

Our Presence in Maharashtra

Maharashtra is a significant state for our operations. We operate manufacturing plants at Pirangut in Pune district and Wada in Palghar district, with an upcoming plant at Lote Parshuram in Ratnagiri district.

We have also worked with municipal teams and corporations in Maharashtra to drive used PET awareness during festivals under our GreenSweep initiative. The current MoU allows us to scale such efforts through a defined framework supported by the Environment and Climate Change Department.

Our operational footprint in the state strengthens our commitment to contributing to structured PET collection systems in the regions where we operate.

Moving Forward

At HCCB, sustainability shapes how we bottle, distribute, and sell our products. Through our Memorandum of Understanding with the Environment and Climate Change Department, Government of Maharashtra, we are working within an organised framework to support systematic food-grade PET collection across identified regions of the state. Through this partnership, we are contributing to structured collection systems, supporting responsible disposal practices, and reinforcing authorised recycling pathways in Maharashtra.

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