UNDP India in collaboration with Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd. (HCCBPL) & Patna Municipal Corporation has established a Plastic Waste Management & Processing plant at Gardani Bagh . This initiative is designed to minimize the impacts and risks to environment and human health, by enhancing sustainable Plastic Waste Management practices, through a socio-technical model (segregation/collection/ recycling). The project’s main objective is to establish a more sustainable community led approach for integrated plastic waste management and efficient recycling. The systematic approach will also address better social security measures, job creation and impact livelihoods for the informal sector engagements. Mainstreaming Safai Sathis (waste pickers) will open new opportunities and lead to more sustainable ways of collection, segregation, processing and recycling of plastics. The project also introduces technology applications to integrate the waste supply value chain and build Cloud based digital governance and traceability.

1. Patna
PLASTIC WASTE MANAGEMENT
PROGRAMME
CURRENT SCENARIO
India generates
15 million tons/yr
of plastic waste
Burden on Landfills
Poor Socio-Economic
Conditions of the Safai
Sathis, especially women
Only ≈ half recycled
ABOUT PROJECT
Plastic Waste Management programme in partnership
with Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited
(HCCBPL) is a pan-India initiative, which is designed to
minimize the damage and risks posed to environment
and to human health due to uncollected plastic waste,
by enhancing sustainable waste management practices.
The initiative is supported by Ministry of Housing and
Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and State Municipal
Corporations. The project deploys a socio-technical
model (segregation, collection and recycling) to improve
use of resources, in line with Government of India’s Swachh
Bharat Mission. We place safai sathis (waste pickers from
informal sector) at the centre of this process, helping to
improve their socio-economic conditions by
institutionalizing them with respective governance
mechanisms of waste management.
The project aims to manage about 85,000 MT of plastic
waste as it expands to 50 cities with its Material
Recovery Facilities (swachhta kendras) and engage
with 30,000 plus safai sathis.
32.7 MT
SAFAI SATHI’S ARE PROVIDED WITH
THE ESSENTIAL FIRST AID KIT AND
PPE LIKE
GLOVES MASK UNIFORM
* As of March 2020
TOTAL PLASTIC WASTE COLLECTION
Material Recovery Centres
(Swachhta Kendra) for improved plastic waste management
Institutionalization of Safai Sathis
with dignity of labour and increased incomes
IMPACTS
Knowledge Management
to sensitize citizens for increased involvement and technology
for traceability
Socio-technical Model
for developing economically sustainable systems
Key Project Components:
412SAFAI SATHIS
236
176

2. Our Implementing Partners in project cities form the fulcrum of swachhta kendra operations, while also extending socio-economic
support to safai sathis under the project mandate. They liaise with other partners such as City Municipal Corporations and State
Pollution Control Boards as part of modus operandi. Implementing partners also manage the data related to their work and support
digital integration of activities for traceability and accountability. Nidan is the Implementing Partner in Patna, maintaining the
swachhta kendra. For every 50,000 households, a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) or kendra is set up that recycles all types of dry
waste, collected with support from City Municipal Corporations (CMCs) or equivalent by the safai sathis. It aims to collect waste from
10 Wards with 10,000 households in each ward and then scale it up to the rest of the city.
IMPLEMENTING PARTNER
Information, Education and Communication forms a key element of this project’s scope of work. To induce behavioural change
towards sustainable plastic waste management practices among citizen communities, various workshops and awareness activities
are conducted in the alloted wards with RWAs, schools, colleges, and occupants of commercial spaces. These activities focus on
explaining the current scenario of waste generation and management, importance of waste segregation, and the impact that
individuals can make through their actions. The key underlying message of the IEC activities is ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’.
INFORMATION, EDUCATION & COMMUNICATION
IMPLEMENTING PARTNER
PROCESS FLOW FOR WASTE AT SWACHHTA KENDRA
Recyclers/Aggregators
MUNICIPAL WARDS
SCHOOLS
AND COLLEGES
HHS, RWA, MALLS,
SHOPPING COMPLEX,
OUTFLOW
INFLOW
SWACHHTA KENDRA
WASTE PROCESSING METHOD
AGGREGATORS INDIVIDUALS
Segregation
Baling Shredding

3. SUPPORTING SAFAI SATHIS
Plastic Lao, Thaila Pao in Patna: In partnership with Nidan and Patna Municipal Corporation, the behavioural
change campaign was launched in Pataliputra Park, Kagna Ghat, Bihar Agro Expo and BIA exhibition in Gandhi
Maidan locations. Till the end of February, the campaign helped to collect 86.7 kgs of plastic waste, through the
general public who exchanged segregated plastic waste for cloth bags at the stall. The campaign stall was managed
by Mithinga Waste Management Pvt Ltd.
Under the project, safai sathis are provided with
personal protective equipment (PPE), such as
masks,gloves, and uniforms. They undergo
thorough training on operating various machines
and segregating various kinds of dry and plastic
waste at the centre.
Safai sathis are also imparted financial literacy and
facilitated with owning Aadhar and PAN cards.
With support from Canara Bank, they were
provided with savings account and enrolled
under Bima Suraksha Yojna.
On International Labour Day
this year, 10 safai sathis were
also given hygiene kits and
shawls worth, as an
acknowledgment
of their efforts during these
challenging times.

4. SDG LINKAGES
This project brings a unique cross-cutting opportunity to
contribute towards
Increased income of the Safai Sathis
Reducing landfill, reduction in
greenhouse gases and marine litter
and safe handling of waste
Empowering women Safai Sathis
through inclusion and improved
livelihoods
Circular economy of waste,
innovation in technology, energy
recovery and promoting extended
producer’s responsibility
Collaboration, engagement,
partnership at every level
CONTACT US
UNDPinIndia
undpinIndia
UNDP_India
Website - www.in.undp.org | Email - info.in@undp.org
HCCB
Ajai Kumar | 9946337722 | ajaikumar@coca-cola.in
UNDP
Arvind Kumar | 8294814574 |
arvind.kr@undp.org
SUPPORTING SAFAI SATHIS
During COVID-19, the team with support from HCCB reached out to safai sathis and their families with a supply of essential items
such as soaps, sanitizers, gloves, masks, and sanitary napkins. Narayan Medical Colleges & Hospital in Rohtas also supported with
5,000 additional masks.
With the additional support of Dainik Bhaskar and BIT Patna more than 2,600 safai sathi families were provided ration supplies
including rice, flour, pulses, mustard oil, potatoes and spices. Himanshu Sharma, Patna Municipal Commissioner also distributed
essential kits among safai sathis.