DOCUMENTATION OF 3R’s

BEST PRACTICES ON

R e d u c e
Reuse
Rec y c l e l p i n g c i t i e s and
He r m ulate
Supported b
y
stat e s t o f o
Cities Comb a tting
r i a t e s t r a t egies
Plastic Enteri
ng Marine
(CCP-ME)
approp
Environment
As a federally owned enterprise, GIZ supports the German Government in achieving its
objectives in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development.

Published by:
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA),
Government of India

Deutsche Gesellschaft für

Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH

Address
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA)
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Cities Combatting Plastic Entering Marine Environment
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Responsible

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Head of Project, Cities Combatting Plastic Entering Marine Environment, GIZ
E: vaishali.nandan@giz.de

Designed by
Aspire Design, New Delhi

Authors
Sourabh Manuja, GIZ India

Peer Review
Central Public Health & Environmental Engineering Organisation (CPHEEO), Ministry of Housing and
Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India

Editorial:
Soma Biswas, GIZ India
Muskan Mascharak, GIZ India

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Responsibility for the content of external websites linked in this publication always lies with their
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May, 2023
 O C U M E N TAT IO N O F BEST
D
PRACTICES ON 3R’s

Reduce
Reuse
Rec y c l e l p i n g c i t i e s and
He r m ulate
Supported b
y
sta t e s t o f o
Cities Comba
tting
r i a t e s t r a t egies
Plastic Enteri
ng Marine approp
(CCP-ME)
Environment
ii
FOREWORD
The notion of reduce, reuse, and recycle is not recent, for decades sustainability has
been inextricably linked with the practice of the 3Rs’ (Reduce Reuse & Recycle). SHRI MANOJ JOSHI
However, it is over the recent years that this practice is being considered as a Secretary
‘Principle’, the sole proven way to mitigate and manage waste from the source Ministry of Housing and
Urban Affairs,
itself. Along with the implementation of recent policies and rules, Government of Government of India
India is working in mission mode through Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) towards
making people aware, reducing usage of single use plastics, and strongly promoting
the concept of reuse and recycle of waste through various innovative concepts and
schemes in cities.

This document presents a compendium of best practices, both from national and
international cases, concerning the principle of 3Rs’ (reduce, reuse, and recycle)
and its value chain. Through the documented case studies, this undertaking aims
to present viable options to integrate the practice of 3Rs’, in every walk of life.
Through the chosen case studies, numerous innovative approaches to reduce the
energy and economic losses while reinforcing the wealth-in-waste notion has
been put forth. Waste has been underutilized for years together, this case study
documentation intends to showcase implementable, up-scalable, and sustainable
ways to manage non-biodegradable waste and low-value recyclables.

The case studies collated in this document comprehensively present the way forward
and ensure that the readers not only become aware of the emergent and existing
innovations, but also sensitize readers towards the long-lasting impact of proper
waste management, and the benefits of practicing the 3Rs’.

I am pleased that the GIZ India, in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing
and Urban Affairs, has brought out this compilation of best practices entitled
‘Documentation of Best Practice on 3R’s’ to help states and cities in formulating
appropriate strategies for managing waste.

iii
iv
FOREWORD

India and Germany established diplomatic relations more DR ANTJE C BERGER DR STEFFEN KOCH
than 70 years ago. For decades, our countries are working Counsellor Minister
Head of Environmental Head of Department
together towards clean, sustainable and climate friendly
Affairs for Economic & Global
cities. It gives the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Affairs
Germany in New Delhi immense pleasure to be part of the
launch of “Documentation of Best Practices on 3R’s (Reduce,
Reuse, and Recycle) – Helping cities and states to formulate
strategies”.

This document supports states and cities in India to plan

for an effective and efficient waste management system.
It has been developed under the Cities Combatting
Plastics Entering Marine Environment (CCP-ME)
project funded by the German Federal Ministry for the
Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and
Consumer Protection (BMUV) as part of its Marine
Debris Framework – Regional hubs around the globe
(Marine:DeFRAG). CCP-ME is anchored at Ministry of
Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) of the Government
of India and implemented by GIZ.

Waste management is an issue for almost all countries in

the world. Thus, reducing, reusing and recycling of waste
is of utmost importance. Germany, through GIZ, has been
working in the waste management sector in India for long
and continues to do so. This document outlines to states
and cities how things are being practiced in the area of
3R’s for waste management not only in India but globally,
and identifies strategies to implement this measure on the
ground. This will help states and cities to achieve the goals
of Swachh Bharat Mission-2.0m, making them garbage
free.

The Government of Germany would like to wish states

and cities in India all the very best in their journey towards
a sustainable tomorrow. Also, the German Embassy and
BMUV would like to take this opportunity to thank
MoHUA for its continued support for the cooperation
without which this would not have been possible.

v
vi
PREFACE
India generates close to 55 million metric tonnes of municipal solid waste every year, of
which only 74% gets treated (SBM Urban, 2022). Indicating a huge requirement of land MR. ERNST DOERING
to dispose untreated and uncollected waste from cities. This waste burden is further linked Director & Cluster
with requirements for manpower to handle waste, transportation, processing, etc. Thus, Coordinator
Sustainable Urban and
linking waste management with environmental, financial, health and socio-economic
Industrial Development,
aspects. To help cities manage waste appropriately, Government of India revised the Solid GIZ India
Waste Management and Plastic Waste Management Rules in 2016. These rules mandate
segregation at source by generator, establishing material recovery facilities to manage waste
and help cities aim to achieve zero waste going to landfills. The 2021 amendment to the
Plastic Waste Management Rules also bans ‘Single Use Plastics’. However, implementation
of the rules has always been a challenge for cities.

With a focus on improving management of waste and using as guidance, the Rules and the
waste management hierarchy, the emphasis for cities has to be on waste reduction, reuse
and recycling following the 3Rs’ (reduce, reuse and recycle) concept and the principles
of circular economy. These practices will help cities optimise solid waste utilization and
ensure that minimum waste goes to the landfill, thus helping cities manage their resources
in a sustainable manner.

Due to lack of awareness, infrastructure and sustainable options, many cities do not get
a chance to engage their citizens in achieving 3Rs’ – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle waste
and some of the age-old practices in India are also getting lost. As a result, many of the
recyclables are left out of the circular economy loop converting valuable resource material
into waste and thereby becoming a burden for cities.

This booklet “Documentation of Best Practices on 3Rs’- Helping cities and states to
formulate appropriate strategies for waste management” has been prepared with the
intention to bring forth the best practices in the area of 3Rs’ and help states and cities to
develop their own strategies towards appropriate management of municipal solid waste.

The ‘Cities Combating Plastic Entering Marine Environment’ (CCP-ME) project, under
which this booklet is getting produced, is funded by the German Federal Ministry for
Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV)
and implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government
of India jointly with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
GmbH. This document has been prepared as part of this support.

The booklet considers both national and international examples that can be easily
replicated by cities and states across the country. Case studies include the Green Protocol
in Kerala; Refill and No-packaging stores in India; the good old practice of reusing
clothes, shoes and other materials in day-to-day life; using recycled products; buy-back
systems, shop-with-your-waste campaigns; use of digitization among others. With this
rich collection of examples, we hope that this booklet will serve as a tool in guiding cities
and states to choose appropriate strategies for their respective locations, thus enabling
them to make systems around 3Rs’ self-sustainable and easy to replicate. This will result
in effectively transforming waste into resource, thus preventing dumping and reduce the
environmental burden on cities.

vii
viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

‘Documentation Of Best Practices On 3Rs’: Helping cities and states formulate VAISHALI NANDAN
appropriate strategies for waste management” is a knowledge product which intends Project Head
to help Cities and States to formulate appropriate strategies for managing waste. Cities Combatting
Plastic Entering Marine
It has been prepared as a support under the project “Cities Combating Plastic
Environment
Entering the Marine Environment (CCP-ME)” project funded by the German
Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and
Consumer Protection (BMUV) and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für
Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH jointly with the Ministry of Housing
and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), Government of India.

The CCP-ME project focuses on enhancing practices (incl. digital tools) to prevent
plastic entering the marine environment in selected cities, states and at national
level, through various interventions and technical support at all levels, including
pilot demonstrations in cities, developing strategies and guidelines, building
capacity of states and cities, etc. Thus enabling improved waste management in the
country and better monitoring recycling and reuse quantities by cities, states and
national level through digital tools.

Based on the objective to help cities and states to formulate strategies for
improved waste management, keeping waste management hierarchy in focus, the
documentation of Best Practices on 3Rs’ has been prepared. This document captures
various examples of interventions and strategies adopted by different stakeholders
around reduce, reuse and recycling that has helped in diverting waste resources back
to the circular economy loop.

We would like to thank Ms. Roopa Misra, Joint Secretary, Swachh Bharat Mission
and Mr. Binay Jha, Director, SBM at MoHUA for constant motivation and support
in compiling the case studies.

We express our sincere gratitude to the organizations/ individuals who have been
referred and showcased in the document. We would like to thank these persons/
organizations for showcasing their concepts, designs and implemented ambitious
strategies, helping others to learn and apply these concepts.

1. Green Protocol – Suchitwa Mission Local Self Government Department

Kerala: sanitation.sm@kerala.gov.in
2. United Cities and Local Government (UCLG) Committee on Social Inclusion,
Participatory Democracy and Human Rights: cisdp1@uclg.org
3. Vikalp- borrow a bag -Why Waste Wednesdays Foundation;
whywastewednesdays@gmail.com
4. Unpackaged Innovation Ltd: info@beunpackaged.com
5. Ecoindian Zero Waste Organic Store: ecoindian.com@gmail.com
6. 7 to 9 Green Store: bittujohn87@gmail.com

ix
 7. Muditha Zero Waste – Pratyusha Sharma (Founder): https://www.linkedin.com/in/pratyusha-sharma-43064523/
8. Bare Necessities: info@barenecessities.in
9. Ecoposro: ecoposro@gmail.com
10. Adrish: adrishzerowaste@gmail.com
11. Veras: contact@verasvintage.dk
12. Twirl.store: info@twirl.store
13. Latasita.in: www.latasita.in
14. Goonj: mail@goonj.org
15. Vytal: hallo@vytal.org
16. E-namo: info@namoewaste.com
17. Cashify: info@cashify.in
18. RePack: info@originalrepack.com
19. Alas – Indonesia: kontak.alas@gmail.com
20. Shayya by Lakshmi Menon: 2pureliving@gmail.com
21. GreenSole: care@greensole.in & csr@greensole.in
22. Recykal: support@recykal.com
23. Return and Earn – New South Wales, Australia: info@service.nsw.gov.au
24. Thaely Sustainable sneakers: sales@thaely.com
25. Corporation of city of Panaji, Goa: office@ccpgoa.com & commissioner@ccpgoa.com
26. Project Mumbai: info@projectmumbai.org
27. Re>Pal: sales@re-pal.com

Last, but not the least, we would like to express our appreciation to Sarfuddin family in Jamalpur, Aligarh; Harmonium
Sales and Services shops in Ramanreti, Vrindavan; cobblers in localities of Vrindavan and Delhi; various Electrical
Appliances Repairing centers around Delhi and Mumbai; and many others with whom interactions took place during
the compilation of this document.

We are also thankful to Mr Sourabh Manuja for steering this document along with our interns Ms. Keerthana Thyagaraj
and Ms Himani Gaikwad.

Hope that this document will serve as a useful tool helping Cities and States to formulate appropriate approaches and
strategies for effectively converting waste into a resource.

x
ABBREVIATIONS
BMUV The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and
Consumer Protection, Government of Germany
BYOC Bring Your Own Container
CCP-ME Cities Combating Plastic Entering Marine Environment
CCP Corporation of the City of Panaji
CPCB Central Pollution Control Board
DRCCs Dry Resource Collection Centres
DRS Deposit Return Scheme
EDMC East Delhi Municipal Corporation (Now part of unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi)
EU European Union
GDP Gross Domestic Product
GIZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit
GoI Government of India
IEC Information, Education and Communication
IPCA Indian Pollution Control Association
IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
MCG Municipal Corporation of Gurugram
MDFVPL Mother Dairy Fruit and Vegetable Pvt Ltd
MoHUA Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
MRF Material Recovery Facility
MSW Municipal Solid Waste
MTPA Million Tonnes per Annum
NAMA Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions
NEERI National Environmental Engineering Research Institute
PPE Personal Protective Equipment
RDF Refuse-Derived Fuel
TERI The Energy and Resources Institute
ULBs Urban local bodies

xi
xii
CONTENTS
Forewordiii
Prefacev
Messagevii
Acknowledgmentix
Abbreviation  xi

BACKGROUND1

Navigation through the case studies 3

Energy and economic linkages for waste management process 4
Stakeholder involvement 4

CHAPTER 1: BEST PRACTICES UNDER REDUCE5

1.1. Green Protocol: Use of sustainable utensils 5

1.2. Capannori (Italy): A zero-waste city 10
1.3. No packaging grocery stores 16
1.4. Refill Stores 21

CHAPTER 2: BEST PRACTICES UNDER REUSE27

2.1. Clothing reuse and upcycling 27

2.2 Reusable packaging delivery systems 32
2.3 Re-using waste materials to make mats and mattresses 36
2.4. Other Good practices under Reuse 41

CHAPTER 3: BEST PRACTICES UNDER RECYCLE44

3.1. Recykal 44
3.2. Return and Earn: New South Wales 48
3.3. Shop With Your Waste Campaign: Barter System 53
3.4 Re>Pal: Pellets from recycled plastic waste 57

4.0 IMPORTANT TAKE-AWAYS FROM CASE STUDIES60

5. REFERENCES61

xiii
BACKGROUND

Urban India, with

51
about 34% of the
country’s total
population of
1.37 billion today
generates close to

million tonnes
of municipal solid waste (MSW) per year,
out of which 73% gets processed

The world generates 2.01 billion tonnes of municipal Increasing population, rapid urbanization (projected
solid waste annually. with at least 33 percent of to be 50% by 2050) and increasing waste generation
that (extremely conservative) not managed in an rate in India indicate that the amount of urban waste
generated is going to increase at a rapid rate. The
environmentally safe manner. Urban India, which
MSW is projected to reach 165 million tonnes per
is about 34% of the country’s total population of
annum (MTPA) by 2031 and about 436 MTPA by
1.37 billion, generates close to 51 million tonnes of 2050 (Planning Commission 2014; TERI 2021).
municipal solid waste (MSW) every year. The average Thus, MSW management must be a priority for
per capita waste generation which was reported to be government.
338.06 grams/capita/day in 2012 has increased to
MSW generated in India varies in characteristics
358.81 grams/capita/day in 2018 (TERI 2021).
regionally and seasonally, along with other factors. In
2004, the Central Pollution Control Board-National
Environmental Engineering Research Institute
(CPCB-NEERI) conducted a study that indicated
that 52% of the MSW was organic. A 2017 CPCB
study showed that 6.92% of MSW was plastic on an
average. In 2019, a study conducted by The Energy

1
 and Resources Institute (TERI), at the Bhandwari landfill in Gurugram,
indicated that MSW was composed of 32.2% organics, 10.96% plastic,
4% paper, 1% metal, 0.5% glass and 52% other waste including inert.
Similarly, a 2019 Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMA)
project-backed waste characterization study in Varanasi revealed that solid
waste collected from wards were comprised of around 29.2% organic
waste, 5.4% paper, 4.8% plastic, 0.3% metal, 0.2% glass, 7% leather and
textile, 2.1% sanitary waste, 7.7% C&D waste, 0.6% domestic hazardous
waste, 0.7% tires, 0.1% electronics and 40.5% fines/inerts (Manuja et al.
2020).

India recycles close to 70% plastic (Plastindia Foundation 2019) and 27%
paper (Manuja & Pandey 2020), most of which is through well-established
linkages with the informal sector. However, economic and energy-related
challenges in collecting low-value waste items (like LDPE, MLP, etc.) cause
many recyclables to be disposed of in dumpsites/landfills.

Government of India (GoI) notified rules on solid waste management and

plastic waste management in 2016. These rules mandate segregation at
source by a generator and integration of the informal sector into existing
systems. The rules also outline that cities should become zero-waste in
the near future, establish material recovery facilities and ban single-use
plastics according to the Plastic Waste Management Rules (Amendment),
2021 and 2022. The rules emphasize the 4Rs of the waste management
hierarchy for optimum utilization of the components of solid waste to
ensure minimal landfilling and to minimize the impact of solid waste on
human health and the environment. However, due to non-sustainable
FIGURE 1: WASTE
waste management practices, lack of citizen MANAGEMENT HIERARCHY
participation in cities and lack of
implementation and monitoring of the
rules, many recyclables are left out of Reduce
the 3R’s practices.

To address the challenges in in bringing

Reuse
non-biodegradable waste to circular economy
loops, enterprises and entrepreneurs around
the world have demonstrated many innovative
Recycle
approaches. These approaches not only reduce the
energy and economic linkages involved in the collection
of recyclable waste but also infuse the concept of waste-
Recover
to-wealth among stakeholders. Further, many low-value
recyclables, which are usually difficult to segregate, are now
being brought into circular economy loop then entering the Dispose
environment.

This case study document is prepared to support MoHUA in effective

implementation of Goals of Swachh Bharat Mission, helping cities and
states to formulate appropriate strategies around 3R’s. It presents various
case studies with concepts outlined in the 3R’s and provides different
options to governments and policymakers for integrating such systems into
city to help them decouple economic growth and urbanization from the
trends of increasing waste generation and disposal.

2
NAVIGATION THROUGH THE CASE STUDIES

Priority of implementation REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE

GREEN PROTOCOL USE OF TWIRL.STORE RECYKAL

SUSTAINABLE UTENSILS LATASITA.IN

GREEN BY GOONJ TRAELY

ECOINDIAN, CHENNAI DARI MAKING IN INDIAN BARTER SYSTEMS-SHOP

CITIES WITH YOUR WASTE
VIKALP- BORROW A BAG CAMPAIGN, GOA
NATIONAL EXAMPLES 7 TO 9 GREEN STORE, SHAYA MATRESS THE MUMBAI PLASTIC
KOCHI RECYCLOTHON

ECOPOSRO, GOA; RECYCLE INDIA

ADRISH, PUNE AND DELHI GREENSOLE

MOTHER DAIRY OLX- ONLINE PLATFORM

REPAIR STORES FOR

ELECTRONICS AND
APPLIANCES
CASHIFY
NAMO E-WASTE
CAPANNORI, ITALY: A ZERO VERAS, DENMARK RETURN AND EARN NEW
WASTE CITY VYTAL, GERMANY SOUTH WATES, AUSTRALIA

REPACK, FINLAND
THE UNPACKAGED GROCERY RE>PAL - PELLETS FROM
STORE [UNPACKAGED RECYCLED PLASTIC WASTE
INNOVATION LTD, UNITED
INTERNATIONAL EXAMPLES KINGOOM]
SELF-SERVICE REFILL ALAS REUSABLE,
MACHINES, SLOVENIA INDONESIA

India recycles close to

70% plastics (Plastindia
Foundation, 2019) and
27% paper, most of this is
through the well-established
linkages with and within the
informal sector

3
 ENERGY AND ECONOMIC LINKAGES STAKEHOLDER INVOLVEMENT
FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT PROCESS
Several stakeholders are involved in waste
It is important to make the systems around 3R’s management and implementation of innovative
self-sustainable. This not only helps in generating strategies to help reduce, reuse and recycle waste.
employment and easy replication in similar places These include waste generators, collectors, waste-
but also helps to divert waste away from disposal, treatment units, waste dealers and aggregators,
reducing the environmental burden of cities. recyclers, road construction firms and co-
combustion units utilizing refuse-derived fuel
Energy linkages involved in the segregation and (RDF).
transportation of waste – is interlinked with
economy as well. These define if it is feasible for
a particular waste stream in a given region to
be segregated and transported to the recycling
facility or if waste can be transformed into a useful
resource. Thus, it is important that economic and
environmental sustainability is suitably analyzed
while adopting innovative technologies.

FIGURE 2: STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED IN WASTE MANAGEMENT

Waste
Generators
Waste
Collecters
Community
groups and
NGO’s

Waste Management Waste

Agregators

Local Body

RDF Units

Policy/
Decision
Makers
Waste
Treatment
Waste
Units
Recyclers

4
BEST PRACTICES

Reduce
UNDER REDUCE

Reuse
Recycle
Around

43% of all manufactured plastics

are single-use plastics.
In 2017, Indian cities
generated about 9.47 million
tonnes of plastic waste

1.1. GREEN PROTOCOL: SUMMARY

USE OF SUSTAINABLE The Green Protocol initiative of the Suchitwa Mission first
UTENSILS: SUCHITWA began during the National Games in November 2015 wherein
MISSION, KERALA sustainable cutlery made from glass, stainless steel and porcelain
was used as alternative to disposable plastic. The protocol
was implemented by serving water in steel tumblers, banning
the usage of disposables by the catering unit and engaging
the spectators in various cultural activities through which
information, education and communication (IEC) messages were
given out. The protocol is now being adopted successfully in
many events and institutions, including the Legislative Assembly.

5
 Use of sustainable utensils as alternative to single-use items has recently
Reduce

been adopted by other municipalities in India to reduce waste. The

Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has opened two steel utensil
banks in sectors 10 and 48, which have around 2,000 utensil sets each. The
utensil banks rent out utensils to residents free of cost so they can avoid
Reuse

the use of disposable plastics (Hindustan Times Correspondent 2021; The

Times of India 2021).

BACKGROUND
Recycle

Single-use plastic refers to plastic items that

FIGURE 3:

ST
are intended to be disposed of after only

MO
Avoid WASTE MANAGEMENT
one use. Around 43% of all manufactured HIERARCHY OF
plastics are single-use plastics. In 2017, GREEN PROTOCOL
Reduce
Indian cities generated about 9.47 million
tonnes of plastic waste (Manuja & Pandey
2020). Single-use plastics pose two Reuse
problems for waste management. The first
is that the volume of waste has drastically Recycle
increased in recent years due to rapid
urbanization and increased consumption
Recover
patterns. The second and bigger problem
is that disposable materials create increased
mixed waste which can neither be Treat
composted nor recycled, thereby increasing
the non-recoverable materials in a waste Dispose
ST

stream.
LEA

To tackle this issue, the Government

of Kerala launched the Green Protocol
initiative for the reduction of waste. The key focus of the Green Protocol
is to minimize waste by preventing the use of disposables and promoting

FIGURE 4: INAUGURATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF STEEL CUTLERIES AS PART OF THE GREEN PROTOCOL IN OFFICES [LOCAL SELF
GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT OF KERALA (2015)(B)]

6
FIGURE 5: SAMEERA’S HOME CROCKERY BANK [CROCKERY BANK FOR EVERYONE, FACEBOOK]

Reduce
Reuse
Recycle
the use of sustainable alternatives such as glass, stainless steel
and porcelain cutleries. The top priority in a waste-management
hierarchy is the prevention of waste generation. The purpose of
the protocol is to show how the prevention of waste generation
can be the best contribution to greening the environment (Local
Self Government Department of Kerala 2017).

SCALABILITY OF THE MODEL

A utensil bank is a simple model that requires minimal
investment and maintenance costs and can last for a long time.
It does not require skill or training, storage units or staff and can
be run by citizens. This intervention of using reusable utensils
instead of use-and-throw cutleries is helping cities reduce their
waste burden. Many cities and citizen groups have adopted such
initiatives. For example, “Crockery Bank for Everyone” is a non-
profit initiative started by Sameera Satija in Gurgaon, Haryana, In just a year since its
that lets people rent free of cost steel crockery for events. Satija inception, Crockery Bank for
runs it from her home and uses Facebook to communicate. To Everyone has saved over
rent the utensils, one can message her on the Facebook page, with

175,000
details and a copy of an identity proof. The only condition is that
the utensils borrowed are to be washed properly and returned
without damages. She also spreads awareness through various
platforms and encourages users to start utensil banks in their
localities (NDTV 2019).
sets of single-use cutlery
The use of sustainable utensils is also gaining popularity among items from being used
street vendors, making them more responsible towards the city’s
environmental needs by adopting reusable cutleries instead of
use-and-throw ones.

7
 SUSTAINABILITY OF THE FIGURE 6: GREEN PROTOCOL VOLUNTEERS IN PALAKAD [LOCAL SELF
Reduce

GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT OF KERALA (2015)(B)]

MODEL
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and
Climate Change released the Plastic Waste
Reuse

Management Rules (Amendment) in 2021.

The amendment places a three-stage ban
on the manufacture, import, stocking,
distribution and sale of certain single-use
Recycle

plastic items starting from January 1, 2022.

Of this, the second stage proposes the ban of
items such as plates, cups, glasses and other
cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, and
straws, starting July 1, 2022. The updated
rules will now act as a driving force for urban
local bodies to adopt sustainable initiatives
such as utensil banks. Since they have a low
investment cost, utensil banks can also be
adapted as for-profit businesses where utensils
are rented out for a small fee to recover the
investment. Such businesses can maintain
user accountability and ensure the quality of
utensils.

IMPACTS

„ The Green Protocol, introduced during the National Games, 2015, has since become a successful people’s
movement in Kerala, where it is readily implemented in many events including wedding ceremonies,
religious gatherings and election assemblies.

„ During 2016–2017 alone, the Green Protocol was implemented in several gatherings including the general
elections, weddings, religious ceremonies and sporting events, which had over 1.2 million combined
participants.

„ In just a year since its inception, Crockery Bank for Everyone in Gurugram has saved over 175,000 sets of
single-use cutlery items from being used.

FIGURE 7: GREEN PROTOCOL FOLLOWED AT THE NAVARATRI FIGURE 8: GREEN PROTOCOL FOLLOWED AT THE NAVARATRI
CELEBRATIONS IN KASARGOD [LOCAL SELF GOVERNMENT CELEBRATIONS IN KASARGOD [LOCAL SELF GOVERNMENT
DEPARTMENT OF KERALA (B)] DEPARTMENT OF KERALA (B)]

8
KEY LEARNINGS

Reduce
„ State-level policy interventions along with
awareness-raising campaigns and IEC tools have

Reuse
motivated citizens in Kerala to avoid single-use
plastic. The Green Protocol is now a people’s
movement where the usage of sustainable
utensils is being adopted in many gatherings and

Recycle
celebrations.

„ The change in policy regarding the use of single-

use plastic is pushing local bodies to come up with
innovative solutions and sustainable alternatives.
However, such interventions must be pushed more
aggressively for uptake by the masses.

„ Social media platforms (like Facebook) are key in

spreading awareness and reaching a large number
of people.

9
 1.2. CAPANNORI, ITALY:
Reduce

A ZERO-WASTE CITY

SUMMARY
Reuse

Waste disposal methods such as landfill disposal and

incineration pose a challenge to sustainability by
encouraging waste generation and impeding recycling rates.
Recycle

To tackle this issue, the local waste collection corporation

and policymakers of Capannori, Italy, not only looked at
ways to boost recycling rates but also to reduce the amount
of waste generated at the source by following the waste
Capannori is now one of Europe’s best
management hierarchy. To achieve this goal, the town performing zero-waste cities, with a
council adopted a zero-waste strategy in 2007, the first separate-collection rate of

82%
city in Europe to do so, and pledged to send zero waste to
landfills by 2020. Capannori is now one of Europe’s best
performing zero-waste cities, with a separate-collection
rate of 82% and an average residual waste generation of 87
kilogrammes–88 kilogrammes/capita/year. To reduce waste
generation further, the municipality has invested in reuse and an average residual waste
centres, upcycling skills training and short-chain stores and generation of 87 kilogrammes–88
provides local families with direct support and incentives to kilogrammes/capita/year.
minimize their waste.

BACKGROUND FIGURE 9: SEGREGATED WASTE COLLECTION BINS PROVIDED BY THE MUNICIPALITY FOR
DOOR-TO-DOOR COLLECTION
Key strategies implemented by
Capannori urban local bodies to
reduce waste generation at the
source are as follows:

Pay-as-you-throw policy:
In 2012, a new pay-as-
you-throw waste tariff was
launched in several villages
in the Capannori municipality.
The frequency of collection
per household is measured
using coded stickers on waste
collection bags which are
scanned by a reader on the
collection vehicle. In areas
where this system was used,
the new tariff incentivized
better separation and
prevention, driving local source
separation rates up to 90%
(Vliet 2018).

10
 Reuse centre:

Reduce
Tax incentives for packaging-free stores:
The municipal council further provided tax incentives to In 2011, the municipality also opened a reuse
local businesses to stock products that could be refilled centre in the village of Lammari. Citizens were
using containers brought by the customers, such as liquid encouraged to give away unused or slightly

Reuse
detergents. With these incentives, in 2009, a local grocery damaged items such as clothes, toys, shoes,
store was opened which sold over 250 locally sourced electrical appliances and furniture. These
food and drink products in bulk. items could be repaired and sold at low price
to those who needed them. The centre also

Recycle
provides courses for various upcycling skills
Zero-waste family challenge: like sewing, upholstery, woodwork and bicycle
repair, encouraging the values and practice of
The Zero Waste Research Centre, Capannori, helped pilot reuse.
the first local zero-waste family challenge, involving 85
families who were supported to reduce their waste. Each
family received a notebook divided into different colours,
corresponding to the colours of the separate-collection Short-chain stations:
bags. Families were requested to record the weight of A short-chain supply model was introduced,
the residual (mixed) waste fraction before they left it which allowed farmers to sell their goods
outside for collection. The research centre provided to consumers directly. This model of food
participants with support and guidance by conducting distribution eliminated the intermediary of a
training sessions on composting, production of soap, packaging plant or retailer, leading to a price
repair of household furniture items, etc. The families reduction for the consumers and an increased
received a discount on the bill for residual (mixed) profit margin for the farmers. Two self-service
waste collected, resulting in savings of approximately refill milk stations were opened where milk
€80–€ 90/year/family. An additional 30% discount on was directly supplied from a local farmers’
waste tariffs was given to families composting their cooperative.
food and garden waste at home.

SUSTAINABILITY OF THE MODEL

In 2009, the city council saved around €2 million
FIGURE 10: SHORT-CHAIN GROCERY STORE EFFECORTA SELLING
by selling materials to recycling plants and reducing PRODUCTS IN BULK [ZERO WASTE EUROPE]
the amount of waste sent to landfill sites. These
savings were reinvested into the waste-reduction
infrastructure. This resulted in a further reduction
of waste tariffs by 20% (Vliet 2013). In 2010,
public canteens were supplied with Joraform
composting machines, which was then extended to
cover resident groups. This could help to reduce the
cost of collecting, transporting and treating organic
waste by between 30%–70%.

Additionally, residents were encouraged to take

up home composting. Over 2,200 households
were given free composters along with training on
composting techniques. The households following
home composting are given a 10% discount on
their waste tariff as incentive.

11
 FIGURE 11: THE RESIDENTS OF CAPANNORI PROMOTING ZERO-WASTE [LOVEWAVES]
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle

The zero-waste family challenge is a continued initiative

from the leadership to reduce waste generation as much
as possible. Involving residents in activities has created
a change in consumption and disposal patterns. The
drop-off point for bulky waste and reusable items in
Lammari points to a change in culture over the years.
Through policies and awareness campaigns, people are
finding value in recovering items rather than disposing of
everything.

SCALABILITY OF THE MODEL

2,200
It can be argued that Capannori has an easy situation in
terms of territory, density of inhabitants and confidence Over
relationship factoring from a quite peaceful social
environment. To implement similar policies in other
communities, they will need to be adapted to the social
and territorial contexts. This adaptation has to be in
a way that enhances the relationship between citizens
and public authorities. (Maurano 2010). A trusted
households
relationship between public institutions and citizens were given free composters
and a strong commitment by the public administration along with training on
to the local environment are the cornerstones for
the implementation of such policies elsewhere. The
composting techniques
people and the city of Capannori approached waste
management and prevention proactively in order to
realize their zero-waste goals. Through transparency and
community engagement, Capannori was able to do so
with minimal hindrances.”

12
 PROGRESS OF RECYCLING ACHIEVED AT CAPANNORI, ITALY OVER 2004-2013.

Reduce
Reuse
Recycle
2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Recycling Disposal

IMPACTS
„ Between 2004–2012, the overall volume of waste
generated per person decreased by 39% (from 192
kilogrammes/person/year to 118 kilogrammes/
person/year). It is predicted to fall further due to
the extension of the pay-as-you-throw scheme.

„ The rate of unseparated waste (residual waste)

per capita was reduced from 340 kilogrammes/
year in 2006 to 146 kilogrammes/year in 2011,
showcasing a 57% drop. The rate of unseparated waste
„ In 2012, 93 tonnes of objects were dropped off at
(residual waste) per capita was
the Lammari reuse centre. reduced from 340 kilogrammes/year
in 2006 to 146 kilogrammes/year in
2011, showcasing a

57%
drop

13
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle

KEY LEARNINGS

„ Involving residents in every stage of policymaking

and taking a holistic and proactive approach made
Capannori a leading example for waste prevention
in Europe.

„ Transparent engagement with the population

has made the zero-waste goal of Capannori an
achievement of the entire community. Meetings
were held in public places to gather input and
ideas and involve the local population in the zero-
waste strategy.

„ Incentives given for the reduction of waste

encouraged resident participation.

„ Innovative efforts such as reuse centres, upcycling

skills training, short-chain stores, etc., contributed
to the reduction of waste.

14
 Reduce
INDORE, MADHYA PRADESH | A ZERO-WASTE CITY
Divided into 85 Wards and 19 Zones for
operation of Solid Waste Management (SWM),
city has 100% door-to-door garbage collection &

Reuse
segregation of waste at the source from 100% of
its households and commercial premises. The total
waste generation is 1115 MTPD out of the total

Recycle
waste 58.25% is wet or organic waste, 41.75% is
dry waste and 0.5% is household hazardous and
sanitary waste.

Indore worked on four points to keep the city clean:

a. Removing Garbage Bins
b. Night Cleaning of Roads
c. New-design Municipal Waste Trucks:
3.3 cubic meter-capacity
d. Children Made Brand Ambassadors

Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) ranging from traditional to audio visual to print and electronic media
to social/digital media was the key that brought out behavioural change which is the foundation of making the success of the
Swachh Bharat Mission. Grassroots innovations, street plays, wall paintings, and FM radio constantly upgraded their content
by incorporating new thematic messages to be communicated and utilizing creative ways of undertaking the same. Cultural
events such as the Ganesh festival, Dusshera, and Gandhi Jayanti were utilized as events to spread the message of cleanliness.

A massive drive was undertaken to remove stray cattle loitering on the roads – 40,000 stray cattle were removed from the
roads. Cattle were taken to panchayat areas and kept there.

The steps undertaken by IMC included:

1. Plastic waste collection centre.

2. The rag pickers - re-oriented and are now
working at a plastic waste collection centre with
the help of NGOs Sarthak and Basix.
3. Engaged NGOs to use their soft skills to create
awareness.
4. Segregated dry waste is transported to the
Garbage Transfer Station (GTS) for sorting
(GPS tracked). The garbage is also compressed
with machines and transported for processing.
5. Strict monitoring by municipal authorities
coupled with strong action, which includes
hefty penalties and suspension for dereliction of
duty, has ensured that there are no gaps.
6. Two engineered landfills of 6.25 acre each have
been constructed and are used as and when
required.
7. Service station has been established where 6 vehicles can be serviced at a time.
8. Bioremediation of 15,00,000 MT waste dumped on 100-acre land has been achieved.

15
 1.3. NO-PACKAGING GROCERY
Reduce

STORES

SUMMARY
Reuse

In order to reduce plastic waste, the number of zero-waste or

no-packaging supermarkets is increasing in many countries.
Recycle

The concept originated in Europe more than a decade ago

and has spread globally since. Zero-waste supermarkets have
also gained popularity in the United States, Australia and
even in India. A zero-waste retail business sells food without
packaging and customers are encouraged to bring their
containers or buy reusable glass containers to carry the food
that they buy. Items purchased are weighed at fill-up systems
and customers pay according to the quantity.

BACKGROUND
The environmental impact of plastic packaging is a critical
problem to tackle, particularly due to the inappropriate
management of plastic packaging that has low value, like
single-use plastic items. Most plastic packaging comes from
food packaging as food needs to be stored and transported
safely to ensure that there is no spoilage and shelf life is
intact. Several efforts have been made to create eco-friendly
packaging material and bio-degradable plastic, but a solution
has not been found yet.

FIGURE 13: PLASTIC WASTE GENERATED (IN MILLION TONNES PER YEAR) BY THE INDUSTRIAL SECTOR IN 2015 [GEYER ET AL. 2017]

Plastic waste generation by the industrial sector, 2015 (in million tonnes per year)

01
Industrial
13
Electrical/
13
Building and
Machinery Electronic Construction

17
Transportation
37
Consumer and
38
Other Sectors
Industrial Products

42
Textiles
141
Packaging

16
FIGURE 14: THE UNPACKAGED GROCERY STORE [UNPACKAGED INNOVATION LTD, UNITED KINGDOM]

Reduce
Reuse
Recycle
The best way to replace food packaging is to reduce
its usage. This is also in line with the first principle of
the waste management hierarchy – waste reduction.
Packaging-free supermarkets may seem like a new
trend, but they have been around for generations.
They seem new because modern-day eco-conscious
stores, which promote a zero-waste, sustainable
lifestyle, are opening in major cities around the
world. On the contrary, this was a normal way
of shopping just a few decades ago when people
shopped at the local grocery store or the city market
where grains were sold from barrels, vegetables out
of a crate and milk straight from a churn. It was only
in the middle of the 21st century that pre-packaged
goods and foods began to replace this way of
shopping to provide a longer shelf life.

Unpackaged is the first of the modern-day zero-waste

grocery stores offering traditional bulk shopping and
selling over 700 products. It was founded in 2006 by
Catherine Conway, an early advocate of the zero-
waste movement, who believed that there is a better Unpackaged is the first of the
way to sell products (Simon 2011). Unpackaged modern-day zero-waste grocery
continues to develop a range of retail and
stores offering traditional bulk
consultancy services while tackling plastic packaging
at all stages of the supply chain. shopping and selling over

700Products

17
 SCALABILITY OF THE MODEL
Reduce

The concept of zero-waste is gaining momentum among

FIGURE 13: PLASTIC FREE STORE AT DUTCH SUPERMARKET CHAIN
urban populations and several efforts are being made to (EKOPLAZA PHOTOGRAPH)
Reuse

offset the use of plastic. However, packaging-free stores

in trendy neighbourhoods are not the only frontrunners.
Conventional retailers have adopted strategies to reduce
packaging waste as well.
Recycle

In 2018, a first-of-its-kind packaging-free aisle was opened

in the Amsterdam branch of the Dutch supermarket chain
Ekoplaza. The aisle contains over 700 plastic-free products
including dairy, chocolates, cereals, meat, rice, snacks,
fresh fruits and vegetables. The company aims to expand
and open similar aisles in all its 74 branches. These aisles
also serve as an innovative way of testing compostable
biomaterials which are an environmentally friendly
alternative to plastic packaging (Taylor 2018).

SUSTAINABILITY OF THE MODEL

Although packaging-free stores are a great sustainable

alternative to conventional supermarkets, they demand
time and effort. Elizabeth Balkan, the food-waste
director at the National Resources Defence Council – a
United States-based non-profit environmental advocacy
group – says that “packaging is inextricably linked with
modernity and convenience”. She points out that no
packaging means no shelf-stable food (Matchar 2019).

Non-packaged foods could become a challenge for people who rely on canned foods, pre-cooked meals and tetra pak
drinks. As some foods have a shorter shelf-life, the inventory needs to move quickly before they spoil. It is therefore
unlikely that zero-waste stores will fully replace conventional supermarkets but they can take over where possible.

Still, many innovative solutions can be integrated into the supply chain. The Plastic Waste Management (Amendment)
Rules, 2021 will act as a strong catalyst to motivate food-supply chains to eliminate single-use plastic items. Research
on biodegradable plastics and sustainable packaging that could increase the shelf life of products is underway. Alternate
eco-friendly packaging can also replace the conventional plastic packing of products. For example, Bare Necessities
– a Bangalore-based company that sells health and beauty products – uses only post-consumer packing materials to
ship products. They also use reusable glass jars, cloth scraps from local tailors and paper scraps from their printer for
packaging.

IMPACTS
„ Conservation of resources through reduction of packaging materials in the supply chain.
„ Reduction in the amount of waste sent to landfills and incineration.
„ Greenhouse gas reduction from less packaging.
„ Positive behaviour change of customers.

18
 Reduce
VIKALP- BORROW A BAG:
An NGO in Delhi, Why Waste Wednedsays
Foundation has joined hands with South Delhi

Reuse
Municipal Corporation to promote use of cotton
textile shopping bags, These bags can be purchased
and even be refunded at Vikalp (project name)
linked stores at the price they were bought (`20

Recycle
each). They easily can be recognised via QR code
available with each bag. The movement towards
sustainable lifestyle is also leaving a big social and
environmental impact as the bags are made by
women of NULM linked Self help groups who use
reject cloth cuttings/ dead stocks from market to
make new bags. The concept has quickly picked-up
and there are more than 152 Vikalp linked stores
now in Delhi. The bags returned are cleaned, dried
and up-cycled to give them a new life.

NO-PACKAGING STORES IN INDIA

FIGURE 16:
ECOINDIAN,
CHENNAI
[SRIPRADHA 2018]

Ecoindian, Chennai
Opened in 2018, Ecoindian is the first
zero-waste grocery store in South India.
The store has a BYOC policy – bring
your own container – and offers a 5%
discount to encourage customers to
do so. All products from the store are
sourced from organic farmers, local
artisans and self-help groups (Patel
2019).

19
 FIGURE 17:
Reduce

7 TO 9 GREEN
STORE
Reuse

7 to 9 Green Store, Kochi

Recycle

The 7 to 9 Green Store sells food, pantry essentials

and cleaning solutions. Customers are encouraged to
bring their containers to avail of a 2% discount, or
they can take the items home in paper bags and glass
jars (Tranco 2021). The bill given to customers also
tells them how much plastic they have saved. Bittu
Jhon, the founder, modified his family’s conventional
grocery store to incorporate eco-friendly alternatives.
He plans to expand to 50 other locations in Kerala.
Since its inception, the store has saved around
13.2 lakh pieces of plastic from unnecessary usage
(Siddiqui 2021).

FIGURE 18:
MUDITHA ZERO-
WASTE STORE
[SRIPRADHA 2018]

Ecoposro, Goa
Ecoposro is a zero-waste shop in Goa
opened in 2018. The store sells basic
grocery items and household essentials like
detergents, soaps, toiletries and sanitary
items. They have several locally-sourced
products like coconut, vinegar, rock
salt, jaggery and dairy products. Regular
customers of the store have shared that
their waste generation has reduced by 75%
(Sripradha 2018).

20
 Reduce
FIGURE 19:
ECOPOSRO,

Reuse
GOA [SRIPRADHA
2018]

Recycle
Adrish, Pune and Delhi
Adrish is a zero-waste organic store chain located in Pune and Delhi. The store has all-organic
products including grains, pulses, cereals, herbal soaps, oils and earthenware. The products benefit
around 8,000 farmers across 14 States in India (Sripradha 2018). They plan to expand to other
locations.

FIGURE 20:
ADRISH, DELHI
[SRIPRADHA 2018]

21
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle

KEY LEARNINGS

„ Innovative business ideas associated with no-waste

systems can be established sustainably.

„ Eco-friendly packaging in place of single-use

plastics can facilitate shelf-life maintenance
and limit the environmental impact of plastic
packaging waste.

„ The city can benefit from waste-reduction

strategies of entrepreneurs and limit plastics from
entering the environment.

„ No-packaging outlets also help reduce the

expenses associated with food packaging and can
sell at a lower cost.

22
1.4. REFILL STORES

Reduce
SUMMARY

Reuse
Refill shops are small, independent stores that sell non-packaged personal
care items, such as shampoo, body wash and hand soap, as well as household
products, such as laundry detergent and all-purpose cleaners. Shoppers are
required to bring their own containers and fill them with the product they buy.

Recycle
Some stores also stock food and other sustainable biodegradable products. The
main goal is to reduce the single-use plastic packaging.

BACKGROUND
Self-service refill machines, Slovenia

In 2017, the municipality of Vrhnika, Slovenia, set up an automated liquid-refill

station that dispensed ecological cleaning products. The space was provided by a
public utility company, KP Vrhnika, while the technological solution for refilling
was provided by an automation company (McQuibban 2020).

The municipality of Vrhnika wanted to make the zero-waste lifestyle more

feasible for their residents so they started offering plastic- and packaging-free
refills for cleaning products at the Depo store. Customers can thus refill reusable
packaging with desired amounts of cleaning products and other liquid supplies.
The weight of the packaging and the volume of liquid dispensed are calculated
together to decide the price to be paid. After the transaction, a sticker is genrated
which acts both as an invoice and as a product declaration. The machines used
in the store are also an example of reuse and recycling practices since their frames
are made of secondary materials (McQuibban 2020). FIGURE 21:
REFILL MACHINE AT THE DEPO
STORE, VRHNIKA [ZERO WASTE
EUROPE, 2020]

23
 SCALABILITY OF THE MODEL
Reduce

The use of refill machines has since spread to the capital of Slovenia,
Ljubljana, and can be found in several locations around the city, which also
has its own zero-waste agenda. Another refill machine, Bert, is operated
Reuse

by a waste management company called Snaga. Bert, which is essentially a

vending machine, was awarded the most innovative retail concept of 2019 by
Euromonitor International, as part of its annual global retail market research.
The machine is being used across other Slovenian cities and has also reached
Recycle

Croatia.

Policy changes, coupled with increasing awareness of environmental issues

caused by plastic waste, are making such zero-waste concepts popular. In
Slovenia, consumers are recognizing the importance of packaging-free
shopping and more businesses are adapting specific business models to offer
reusable and refillable options. A website (https://manjjevec.si/) has been
set up in Slovenia to make it easier for citizens to find the closest refill stores
and shops with a BYOC option, as well as more information on the topic.
Similarly in India, Mother Dairy customers are opting for token milk as it is
`4/litre cheaper than packaged toned milk.

Refill stores not only benefit businesses by streamlining the supply chain
and increasing individual profits, but they also help customers save money
on packaging. Initiatives like the Mother Dairy vending machines make the
price of the product significantly cheaper, thereby incentivizing customers
to choose refill options over packaged options. Customers also have the
flexibility to buy as much as they need since there are no standard sizes. FIGURE 22:
A BERT MACHINE IN LJUBLJANA
[ZERO WASTE EUROPE, 2020]

24
 Reduce
EXAMPLE IN INDIA:
A refill model, set up by Mother Dairy, can be found in Delhi-NCR. Mother Dairy is a leading milk supplier that
has a milk token system. Customers can visit its booths and fill up milk from vending machines in their own

Reuse
containers. The company aims to promote consumption of token milk and reduce the use of plastic packaging
(Express Web Desk 2019).

Mother Dairy Fruit and Vegetable Pvt Ltd (MDFVPL) has also initiated a research programme on eco-friendly

Recycle
packaging to continue their sustainability efforts and has also implemented the following measures.

FIGURE 23: MOTHER DAIRY MILK VENDING MACHINES, DELHI [EXPRESS WEB DESK 2019]

IMPACTS

„ In just a few months, about 90,000 bottles have been prevented from entering the waste system of Slovenia.

„ Mother Dairy has been encouraging its consumers to opt for token milk through an automated milk vending
system at the company’s booths in Delhi NCR. This effort has eliminated the generation of around 700 MT
of plastic wastes per year (Express Web Desk 2019).

„ Mother Dairy has replaced plastic trays for curd cups with paper trays, which will eliminate the usage of
approximately 100 MT of plastic.

„ Mother Dairy has replaced plastic spoons with wooden spoons as well as eliminated plastic straws which were
provided with a few products.

„ Increase in consumption of one litre milk packets instead of 500 millilitre packets has helped Mother Dairy
reduce the use of plastic bags/pouches by approximately 240 MT annually.

25
 KEY LEARNINGS
Reduce

„ Through thoughtful shopping, it is possible

for customers to prevent the generation of new
Reuse

waste as well as save costs associated with the

transportation and handling of packages.

„ Incentives given by local authorities can go a

Recycle

long way to increase the number of sustainable

businesses. Local businesses as well as large
retailers can be inspired to implement innovative
solutions to avoid packaging waste.

„ Municipalities and local authorities can set an

example of alternate solutions and incentivize
entrepreneurs to bring such ideas to their city. This
can kick-start the zero-waste movement in cities
and involve multiple stakeholders.

„ A push from ULBs towards such schemes and

the competitiveness of being more eco-friendly
in making buying choices motivates citizens to
choose wisely.

26
BEST PRACTICES

Reduce
UNDER REUSE

Reuse
Recycle
On an average people
bought

60 %more garments
in 2014 then
they did in
2000.

10
Fashion industry
generates
%
of global carbon dioxide
emissions every year

2.1. CLOTHING REUSE SUMMARY

AND UPCYCLING Every year, the environmental cost of the fashion industry
increases as it is the second-most polluting industry on the
planet. Veras, Denmark, is a circular-clothing concept store
where people are encouraged to exchange, sell, buy and repair
used clothing. Veras engages with customers in stores, online and
in weekly markets. Similarly, Twirl.store in India, exchanges old
clothes for discounts. Latasita.in uses old clothes to design new
ones in India.

27
 The Veras sustainable model includes the following activities:
Reduce

„ Swapping of old clothes for new clothes in Veras clothes FIGURE 24: VERAS UPCYCLED BLANKETS [VERAS N.D.]
exchange shops and at the Veras Market.
„ Selling one’s wardrobe to others at the Veras Market.
Reuse

„ Buying new, used clothes from the Veras concept in physical

stores, its online store and the Veras Market.
„ Repairing or donating old clothes for upcycling in the Veras
Recycle

workshop (Veras n.d.).

BACKGROUND
As the market for cheap clothes and new styles grows, consumers
have been purchasing more clothes than ever. On average, people
bought 60% more garments in 2014 than they did in 2000. This
increase in consumption comes with a heavy environmental cost
(McFall-Johnsen 2020). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) estimates that the fashion industry produces
10% of global carbon dioxide emissions every year. It is also the
second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply with an estimated annual usage of around 1.5 trillion litres of water.
Other environmental concerns raised by the industry include a rise in pollution levels due to chemical waste, water
pollution and microplastics from the use of certain types of fabrics (Davis 2020).

Veras is a platform for clothing reuse and upcycling. It was founded by Rebecca Vera Stahnke in 2016 and has an all-
female staff. It has a circular business model where clothes can be exchanged, sold and upcycled. Based in Copenhagen,
Veras works towards reducing waste from the fashion sector by making the swapping and selling of clothes easier for
customers. It has an online store, which ships to all European countries, where users can send in their old clothes to get
discounts on new garments from Veras. Veras also hosts weekly clothing markets in Copenhagen for consumers to buy
and sell their clothes (European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform n.d.).

FIGURE 25: THE COST OF PRODUCING A T-SHIRT AND A PAIR OF JEANS IN TERMS OF CO2 EMISSIONS [DAVIS 2020]
Jeans
% of total CO2 emissions

4% 20% 10%
Distribution User Phase
Yarn Production

and
retailing

4% 57%
Distribution Garment production
T-shirt
and retailing % of total CO2 emissions

19% 19%
User Phase
Yarn Production

50%
Garment
production

8% Cotton Production 9% Cotton Production

28
All the clothes sold by Veras come from local Danish FIGURE 27: CLOTHES FROM VERAS’ ONLINE STORE [VERAS N.D.]

Reduce
wardrobes, and no fresh textiles or cloth is used. The
business aims to transform use-and-throw consumption
habits and tackle the fast-fashion industry. With several
platforms in play, old clothes find a new purpose and

Reuse
get new life. In addition, the company offers a range
of upcycled products, including tote bags, dresses and
trousers that are made from discarded textiles, bed linen,
tablecloths and so on, handed in by users. All of these

Recycle
products are produced in Copenhagen (Veras n.d).

SUSTAINABILITY OF THE MODEL

As Veras has a circular business model involving several
platforms, it provides value for all clothes regardless of
the quality and condition they are in.

Veras is a green business and strives to make room for

improvement. In January 2020, they launched their
first upcycling initiative through which they can extend
the lives of defective clothes. In October 2020, they
implemented new sustainable carry bags that are made
from 100% discarded clothing.

Veras believes in sharing observations, experiences and mistakes with other businesses of the clothing industry. Research
in this field is still lagging, and the company contributes by actively participating in industry networks and research
projects and conducting talks and debates. All the clothes available on Veras’ platforms are from local wardrobes. They
accept clothes in their stores and markets. Their upcycling initiatives are also produced and handled within the country.

By making it easier to swap and exchange clothes, Veras has:

„ Given a new life to more than 275,000 pieces of clothing.
„ Rescued 359,178 pieces of clothing from incineration.
„ Encouraged 156,918 Danish citizens to adopt circular consumption patterns.
„ Saved 1,490 tonnes of CO2 equivalent.

LATASITA, KOLKATA
LataSita is a pioneering design studio creating zero-waste and ethically produced fashion using a closed-loop
supply chain. They take fabric from diverse and sometimes unexpected sources - ranging from treasured private
heirloom collections to the wardrobes of everyday women and even Durga Puja pandals. They have championed
the circular economy by putting a special focus on using anything old and off the grid. The bulk of their
collection comes from sarees sourced directly from the wardrobes of women.

Each piece is lovingly crafted at LataSita’s Kolkata studio which functions to the highest standard of ethics and
sustainability.

29
 TWIRL.STORE
Reduce

Twirl.store is an online clothing platform which sells sustainable products produced from upcycled materials. The
products are handcrafted by women and are shipped for free across India. The store also has a unique buy-back policy
where clothing bought from the store can be sent back when the customer no longer wants to use it. In return for the
Reuse

used clothes, points are rewarded which can be redeemed on the next purchase. Customers can also sell old clothes
they no longer use, in exchange for store points. This system reduces wastage of textiles and promotes sustainability
(Twirl n.d.).
Recycle

Similarly, Crapbin in Hyderabad, FIGURE 26: TWIRL.STORE’S SUSTAINABLE CYCLE [TWIRL N.D.]
Telangana, picks up textile waste
from users’ doorsteps, free of cost. Twirl
Users can choose to donate these to Sustainable
04.
unprivileged children, but Crapbin 02. Circle
also upcycles products; these can
be purchased from their website 05.
03. Manufacturing
crapbin.com. 01. Cleaning

Final
Material Sorting H2O Product
Conserves
Natural
Donation Resources

IMPACTS

Benefits of using upscaled fabric: FIGURE 28: VERAS CLOTHING EXCHANGE MARKET
IN COPENHAGEN [VERAS N.D.]
„ Products made of upscaled fabric use fewer resources than
those made from new fabrics, making them eco-friendly.
„ Resources which would otherwise be used to create new
fabric are conserved.
„ Upcycled clothing saves thousands of litres of water.
Around 2,700 litres of water is used just to make one
t-shirt (Northeast Today 2020).
„ Products are often more affordable than mass-produced
items.

30
 Not Just a Piece of Cloth (NJPC):

Reduce
The aim of this initiative is to address issues of menstrual hygiene faced by women in
rural and slum India. Cotton and semi-cotton clothes donated by people are cleaned
and used to make sustainable sanitary napkins, which are given to women free of cost.

Reuse
Green by Goonj:
Over 100 different products including backpacks, handbags and wallets are made by upcycling
old clothes. Women are trained with the necessary skills to explore their ideas and potential

Recycle
in making innovative products (Goonj n.d.). Their products can be found at: https://www.
greenbygoonj.com/

FIGURE 29: GOONJ SANITARY NAPKINS FIGURE 30: WOMAN WEAVING FABRIC [GOONJ N.D.] [GOONJ N.D.]

KEY LEARNINGS

„ The points or rewards system used for clothing

sale and exchange encourages customers to send
clothes into the circular economy loop rather than
sending them to landfills.

„ The buy-back policy is a more sustainable

alternative to fast fashion. Consumers can dispose
of clothing when needed and keep up with trends
without generating more waste.

„ Along with promoting a circular fashion industry,

Veras has also been promoting new fashion trends
inspired by vintage outfits and upcycled fabrics.
These trends have now become popular among
the 15–25 age group, which is also their largest
customer base.

„ Simple skills like sewing, patching and altering can

go a long way in refreshing old clothing because
more often than, clothes that are otherwise in a
good condition are discarded due to minor flaws.

31
 2.2 REUSABLE PACKAGING DELIVERY
Reduce

SYSTEMS

SUMMARY
Reuse

Vytal is a Cologne-based start-up that offers a digital solution for

packaging waste. The business model is based on a cycle of reusable
containers that are controlled by an app and tracked through QR

155,000
Recycle

codes instead of a deposit system. In operation since September

Around
2019, around 700 restaurants, canteens and supermarkets are
already using Vytal’s services. Vytal supplies restaurateurs with
reusable containers and lids which are leak-proof and store heat. The
restaurant pays a small fee per filling. Once the food is delivered to
customers, they are expected to return the containers within 14 days.

BACKGROUND
According to the German Environmental Aid, around 155,000
tonnes of waste was generated by disposable tableware in a year and
around 400,000 meal trays were discarded every hour. This problem
seemed to amplify during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the first
lockdown, an estimated 80,000 single-use boxes were added per
hour. Takeaway and food delivery are responsible for about 281,000 tonnes of
tonnes of single-use packaging waste in Germany, and this figure is waste was
increasing at double-digit rates, as per Vytal. generated by
On the-go food containers, snack boxes and coffee cups have a very disposable
short lifespan – mostly 30 minutes – after which they are discarded. tableware in a
This is not only a waste of economic resources, as each single-use year
container costs anywhere between €0.15 and €0.60, it also has
huge environmental costs. The German Nature and Biodiversity
Conservation Union estimated that the single-used packaging used
for on-the-go consumption generates around 556,000 tonnes of
CO2 eq per year (Vytal 2019).
FIGURE 31:
VYTAL’S BUSINESS MODEL
[VYTAL]

Check out
Order Food
Partner prepares food &
Order food via the VYTAL matches reusable bowl
app or in-person to user/order via scan

Return
Enjoy Food
14-Days free return to
any partner or return box User enjay food without
for cleaning by partners waste & bad conscience

32
 Reduce
Reuse
Bowls Two- Polypropylene Sushi packaging Pizza tray
compartment cup with sipper
Leak-proof and Stackable sushi Stackable
lid (200/300ml)

Recycle
stylish bowls
container packaging reusable pizza
(1.250ml, 750ml Two-compartment tray
and 50ml) box with transparent
lid (450/550ml)
Coffee cup

Vytal provides consumers, restaurants, supermarkets and delivery services an inexpensive and sustainable alternative to
disposable plastic waste by supplying lockable containers made of heat-insulating plastic polypropylene through a digital
platform (Vytal 2019).

Each container is equipped with a QR code on the lid. Before the first loan, the patrons have to register on the Vytal
app where they receive a personal QR code. Both codes are scanned at the checkout point and a reusable key is assigned
to the customer. If the customer does not return the bowl within 14 days, they will automatically purchase it for EUR€
10. The response rate is, therefore, better than with the bottle deposit and Vytal estimates it to be at 98%.

It costs the restaurants €0.15 – €0.20 per filling depending on the size of the bowl. Each bowl must be borrowed at least
25 times to cover acquisition costs. The containers have a maximum service life of around 200 fillings, which fetches
Vytal a net earning of €35 per bowl. From these profits, costs for personnel, logistics and marketing are deducted.

SCALABILITY OF THE MODEL

The European Union (EU) is planning to introduce a sustainable and closed circular economy as a central aspect of the
Green Deal by 2025. From July 3, 2021, ten single-use plastic items including cutlery, plates, straws and stirrers were
banned from being sold in the EU (Braun 2021). In January 2021, the Federal Cabinet of Germany also introduced a
mandate for restaurants to
offer reusable packaging by FIGURE 33: REVENUE STREAMS FOR VYTAL [VYTAL INTERNAL]
2023 (BMU 2021). This is
where companies like Vytal Restaurants Users
come into play and meet
the policy requirements. Filling fee: Bowl/offline card sale:
Its business model is also • Restaurants pay a small • User automatically buys
successful because it offers fee per filling. container after 14 days.
reusable packaging at a • No monthly fee. • Membership card for users
price similar to a single-use • Filling fee is cheaper than who do not want to use the
plastic container. Hence, high-quality disposables. app.
restaurants will not need
to spend more on the Pre-order commission: Return-period extention:
packaging and customers • Earn a small commission • Users can extend the
will not need to pay on pre-orders via the app. return period.
anything extra either.

33
 FIGURE 34: USAGE OF VYTAL CONTAINERS, 2020–2021 [VYTAL INTERNAL]
Reduce

# of check-outs per month

250,000
Reuse

200,000

150,000
Recycle

100,000

50,000

0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May

2020 2021

Delivery in reusable packaging is not limited to the food industry. This model can be adapted to any e-commerce
business or product delivery system. For instance, RePack, which is a packaging service founded by a Finnish company,
enables the return and reuse of delivery packaging for online retailers and their users. Customers can opt to use RePack
as their packaging on partner sites. The customer then receives their items in RePack’s recyclable packaging. This
packaging can be returned to RePack at any local letterbox, after which it is circulated in the system and can be reused
up to 20 times on average. Once the packaging has been registered as returned, the user will receive a digital voucher
that can be used towards future purchases from RePack-supported online stores (RePack n.d.).

FIGURE 35: REPACK’S CIRCULAR ECONOMY MODEL [REPACK N.D.]

IMPACTS

„ Vytal began with 1,000 reusable bowls.

„ In 2020, it saved 200,000 disposable packaging pieces. This year, the number is expected to increase by a
factor of 15, to 3 million.

1.2 million 120,000+ 1,300 partners 51

packaging pieces customers registered. across Germany employees.
were saved. and Austria.

34
KEY LEARNINGS

Reduce
„ Convenience is key to the success of reusable packaging in
the delivery industry. For example, RePack makes the return

Reuse
of packaging easy, by just having to drop it off at a post
box. Vytal on the other hand does not require customers to
pay a deposit fee and they have up to 14 days to return the

Recycle
containers.

„ Reusable packaging is affordable and does not impose any

additional costs on users.

„ Studies show that 70% of consumers are willing to switch

to refill-and-reuse systems (Greenpeace 2020), and 74% are
willing to pay for reusable packaging (Enviu, 2021). This
shows the increasing awareness amongst consumers to switch
to sustainable solutions.

ALAS REUSABLE, INDONESIA

Indonesia is the world’s second-largest leakage point for FIGURE 36: ALAS REUSABLE PACKAGING (ALAS, 2019)
plastic pollution in the ocean. Enviu’s zero-waste lab
program is working on several different projects to tackle
single-use plastic pollution by creating reuse business
models. The demand for reusable solutions is increasing.

One significant reuse initiative is the ALAS reusable food

delivery box. Customers can opt for reusable packaging
while ordering their food and can return the containers
at drop-off points or ask for drivers to pick them up. The
business model has already become popular with over 120
registrations in the first week of the pilot in Jakarta.

35
 2.3 REUSING WASTE MATERIALS TO MAKE MATS AND MATTRESSES
Reduce

SUMMARY
Rug-making or mattress-making is
Reuse

a common entrepreneurial practice

amongst low- and middle-income groups
in India. This process is economically
Recycle

viable and environmentally friendly

because there are minimal raw-material
costs and requires semi-skilled workers. When prepared appropriately, these
India has a large textile industry fabric remains can be used as
and several skilled large- and small- the primary raw material to make
scale tailors who produce significant
amounts of fabric waste. When prepared
handwoven rugs or flat carpets, known
appropriately, these fabric remains can be as Daris, thus creating a circular
used as the primary raw material to make economy business model
handwoven rugs or flat carpets, known as
Daris, thus creating a circular economy
business model.

BACKGROUND
In India, old-fashioned clothes that are unused, either due to obsoleteness or being worn out, are cut into strips and
woven to make mattresses. Thus, textiles are prevented from going to disposal sites and a better use of old clothes is
also made. Depending on the type of discarded textiles, different methods can be used to convert them into mats or
mattresses.

FIGURE 37: DARI MADE FROM USED CLOTHES [HUBPAGES]

36
 EXAMPLE IN INDIA:

Reduce
Dari Making: One such common example that can be found in India is Dari-making, which involves the use
of scrap fabrics or old clothes. The clothes are cut into long strips and made into balls of fabric.

Reuse
These fabric balls are a combination of different pieces of cloth and are multi-coloured. They
can be loaded into a weaving machine and made into Daris.
Shaya: Mattress Making: Shaya is a social entrepreneurial venture that hopes to provide mattresses for
homeless people. During the COVID-19 pandemic, developer noticed that personal protective

Recycle
equipment (PPE) kits were being manufactured at a rapid pace and there was a large amount
of waste generated from the cut-out scraps (World Economic Forum 2021). Shaya contacted
a local manufacturing unit, asked them to send the waste generated from PPE manufacturing
and made mattresses from it. These mattresses were sent to COVID-19 hospitals and given to
patients who could not afford beds. The mattresses were lightweight, fluffy and easy to wash
(Balakrishnan 2020).
Recycle India: A start-up based in Hyderabad that aims to make furniture, drums, speakers, lighting systems
and footwear out of tyres; bus shelters, low-cost houses and sofa sets out of discarded PET
bottles; furniture with cardboard waste; and others (Shalini 2017).

FIGURE 38: DARI MADE BY SARFUDDIN FAMILY IN JAMALPUR, ALIGARH, U.P.

SCALABILITY OF MODEL
The weavers take clean old clothes and cut them into long stripes of approximately an inch wide (depending on the
requirement of the output product). The strips are then weaved together to make the rug. Weavers make different
designs and mattress sizes depending on the requirements. Generally, one mattress measuring 3 x 6 feet is made with 3
kilogrammes of used cloth. The prepared mattress is then stitched on all sides to prevent its threads from losing the weaved
pattern. This weaving is generally done by manual or mechanical weaving machines and requires minimal skill.

37
 FIGURE 39: USING PPE WASTE TO MAKE BEDS FOR COVID PATIENTS [THE BETTER INDIA, 2020]
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle

Anyone can make the Shaya mattress since they do not FIGURE 40: SHAYA MATTRESS MADE FROM OLD CLOTHES [THE
require any specialized skill. They use a simple technique GUARDIAN]
of interweaving strips together. Thus, anyone who knows
how to weave can make a mattress. Depending on the
materials available and techniques used, mattress-making
from recycled material can become a viable means of
income for many low-income groups (The Better India
2020).

SUSTAINABILITY OF MODEL
Mattress-making out of used clothes in India is very
common among low- and medium-income groups.
Generally, high-income group societies tend to give
away their used clothes to low-income groups who, after
use, tend to reuse them for activities such as making
mattresses.

In some regions, due to the unavailability of weavers to

process used clothes, the practice is not very common.
However, the art of mattress-making gives employment
to semi-skilled persons, both men and women.

IMPACTS

A whole bed mattress can be made from nearly 3 kilogrammes of cloth. Thus, creating a setup utilises a strong
potential for preventing textile waste from entering city waste streams.

38
 Reduce
KEY LEARNINGS

„ Used clean clothes can be put to alternate

use with mattress-making.

Reuse
„ There is still a need to formally organize
such weavers into self-help groups, which
can benefit through linkages through NGOs

Recycle
and municipal corporations.

„ Used PET bottles, tyres and cardboard

are also being used to make alternative
usable (upscaled) products like furniture,
mattresses, etc., through new start-ups.
There is a need to identify innovative ideas
and create a marketplace for these products.

39
Reduce

GREENSOLE
Started by two athletes—Shriyans Bhandari and Ramesh Dhami—who used to run through at least three to
four pairs of sports shoes every year. They noticed that the soles were in good condition, but the shoe sides tore
Reuse

within months. They wondered if they could find some use for the intact soles of these quality sports shoes. A
bit of research led to the idea of refurbishing them into trendy slippers. That brainwave eventually spawned an
eco-friendly enterprise that reuses shoe soles and is named GreenSole.
Recycle

GreenSole contributes to:

1. Social good by creating self-sustaining infrastructure that facilitates the provision of the basic necessity of
footwear to everyone;

2. Environmental good by refurbishing discarded shoes with zero carbon footprint soles and

3. Economic good by giving employment to refurbish shoes (GreenSole n.d.).

FIGURE 41: GREENSOLE PRODUCT [GREENSOLE N.D.]

40
2.4. OTHER GOOD PRACTICES UNDER

Reduce
REUSE

SUMMARY

Reuse
One of the good practices under reuse strategy for cities and states is
to promote repair of items, which are broken down but can be easily
repaired. However, to continue the culture of reusing old items

Recycle
after repairing it is vital that small repair shops and skilled labour or
workmanship are retained and motivated in urban clusters. Many
high urbanized clusters are lacking these workmanship skills and
repair persons. One of the reasons of this is the developing habit/ To continue the culture of reusing
culture among people of use and throw, and other reason is lack old items after repairing it is
of designing for repairability and recyclability in latest product vital that small repair shops and
designs. There is a need for cities to develop skills of youth and skilled labour or workmanship
encourage them to become entrepreneurs and start developing cities
are retained and motivated in
momentum towards zero waste. It is also equally important that
states and national governments promote design for recyclability in urban clusters
product development.

BACKGROUND
It we look around the old cities and even the smaller cities and towns, we can see small repair shops like
cobbler, electrical and electronics repair shop, music instrument repair shops, furniture repair shop, etc. These
are mostly entrepreneurs who have learned the skills from their parents or trainers and started their own
ventures. On contrary, if we look at highly urban clusters where cost of livings is high, we see very few of these
repair shops and mostly people go ahead with use and thrown concepts for their convenience. The concepts
of repair and reuse are diminishing around highly urbanised clusters and these skill holders are also moving
towards other lucrative professions. It is important that reuse concepts are promoted in cities and urban
agglomerations and materials are moved into circular economy loop for a longer time.

OLX- ONLINE PLATFORM

One of such platform that allows users to sell and buy used items for further reuse is OLX. An online marketplace
platform currently operational in Brazil, Indonesia, Portugal, Romania, South Africa and India among others. The
platform connects consumers who want to sell used items to those who want to buy at a cheaper price. This includes
cars, motorcycles, mobile phones, home appliances and furniture. The selling price can be decided by the seller as
long as the item for sale follows the marketplace guidelines and can further be negotiated. All product description,
photograph and damages or defects of the item on sale need to be disclosed to the buyer or the item is eligible for
return. This ensures transparency within the marketplace and builds trust among users.

Increasing use of such second-hand marketplace increases the life cycle of several items and prevents them from
being discarded into recycling networks or towards landfills. Often, products that are in a good, usable condition are
discarded. This way, people who can’t afford to pay for new products can buy the same thing at a cheaper price (olx.in).

41
 REPAIR STORES FOR ELECTRONICS AND APPLIANCES
Reduce

FIGURE 42: HARMONIUM SALES & FIGURE 43: COBBLER MENDING FIGURE 44: ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES
SERVICING SHOP FOOTWEAR REPAIR SHOP
Reuse
Recycle

FIGURE 45: UMBRELLA REPAIR SHOP FIGURE 46: ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES FIGURE 47: ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES
REPAIR SHOP REPAIR SHOP

SCALABILITY
With skill development programs and special booth spaces
in cities to promote reuse/repair stores such models and
workmanship can be promoted. It is also important that such
skills are uplifted, and repair shops are promoted through
various schemes run by government of India.

SUSTAINABILITY
Like online platforms such as OLX, there are many more
platforms like cars24 etc which are into used automobile selling
and buying. There is a greater need of materials which are waste
by for one (due to changing trends) but can be used by another There is a greater need
one, is promoted in markets. We can also see refurbished that materials which are
electronic items on sale via amazon and flipkart. waste for one (due to
However, for repair and refurbish stores which are generally changing trends) but can
run by entrepreneurs, it is important that the manpower is be used by another one, is
trained, materials are made for repairability, and spare parts are promoted in markets
easily made available by companies to undertake repairs of their
products. Appropriate spaces at key market locations which have
larger footprints of people and good skill development programs
can help make these concepts sustainable in urban clusters.

42
NAMO E-WASTE: CASHIFY:

Reduce
With collection centres across 12 states and union Cashify not just enables its customers to sell but also, buy,
territories in India, Namo E-waste helps reduce, reuse recycle, accessorize & repair their smartphone through a
and recycle electronic assets. Once a customer has digital platform/partner stores. Customers can sell phones

Reuse
scheduled the electronic waste pickup, the organisation for cash/ discount coupons at various cities across India.
handles the collection and brings the waste to their They also help corporates in achieving Extended Producer
recycling plant in Faridabad, where they extract those Responsibility (EPR).
parts which can be reused and sustainably dispose the

Recycle
rest through in an environment friendly way. Their
client list includes Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces,
ICICI Bank, Tata Sky and Godrej, among others.

IMPACT

A large amount of materials, especially furniture and electronic items which are thrown away from cities, due
to non-repairability or non-easy availability of appropriate spare parts can be routed back into circular economy
loops and retained for larger timespans in use.

The programs like ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ can also be integrated for skill development and a workforce with skills to
repair many items and earn their livings can be created. This will lead to employment generation on one hand and
reuse of materials on other.

KEY LEARNINGS
„ There is a need for cities and states to
promote the concepts of reuse through better
communication and awareness generation.

„ Online platforms, repair shops and refurbish

stores need to be promoted through
interventions by cities and states.

„ Skills to be developed to promote workmanship

within cities

„ Policies to be introduced to promote design

for refurbishment and repairability and easy
availability of product spares.

43
 BEST PRACTICES
Reduce

UNDER RECYCLE
Reuse
Recycle

3.1. RECYKAL SUMMARY

Recykal, an Indian start-up, is an end-to-end digital solutions
provider that facilitates transactions for all stakeholders across
India’s waste management and recycling value chain. Recykal
is an innovator in “waste-commerce” and digital management
of waste. Its smart software helps waste handlers digitize their
records and track the flow of waste. Its digital platform connects
waste generators, waste processors, recyclers and brand owners
who are tackling the challenges faced by the industry including
demand–supply mismatch and lack of transparency and
traceability.

Through its digital platforms,

including Marketplace, Smart
Centre Solutions and EPR
LOOP, Recykal channels

over

10,000 metric tonnes of

recyclables every month

44
FIGURE 48: RECYKAL CONCEPT AND BUSINESS MODEL [RECYKAL 2017]

Reduce
Reuse
Recycle
BACKGROUND
Recykal was founded in 2017 in Hyderabad and FIGURE 49: REPRESENTATIVE PHOTOGRAPH- DATA RECORDING AT MRF
expanded its operations to Pune, Delhi, Bangalore [RECYKAL 2017]
and Chennai over the years. It seeks to ensure
higher rates of waste collection and recycling by
involving all stakeholders across the waste value
chain and thereby paving the way for a circular
economy.

The waste collection for recycling in India is

primarily led by the informal sector where the
offline transactions are mostly unrecognized
and lack the benefits of a formal ecosystem.
The stakeholders often function with a lack of
information and communication. Reliable and
scalable technologies that close material loops and
pave the way for a circular economy are a promising
way to tackle the issues related to low recycling rates
for recyclables, as well as formal recycling chains
(Recykal 2017).

Some of the key challenges faced by the waste

management and recycling industry include
demand–supply mismatch, lack of transparency and
traceability, and missing data. Digital technology
can create a bridge, while data and reporting
solutions also help governments, policymakers,
organizations and communities adopt sustainable
practices.

45
 A few of the solutions offered by Recykal are as follows (Recykal 2017):
Reduce

Recykal Marketplace is an online platform (app-based) for buying

and selling recyclable items like plastics, paper and e-waste. Recykal
Marketplace connects various stakeholders in the waste management
Reuse

sector including bulk-waste generators/dry-waste collection centres, waste

aggregators and recyclers enabling transactions to bring transparency and
traceability to the system.
Recycle

Smart Centre Solution helps waste aggregators, dry resource collection

centres (DRCCs) and material-recovery facilities to digitize their day-to-
day activities such as record keeping, settlements and transactions, giving
complete visibility of collection centre operations.
Recykal Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) solution is a cloud-based
system that helps governments and smart cities deploy and manage
Deposit Return schemes digitally with an app-based collection and
payments mechanism.
The UZED App allows consumers to dispose of recyclable waste
responsibly by offering a convenient pick-up service and online
incentives. The app is also used by brands, schools and colleges to run
takeback and engagement programs.

SCALABILITY OF MODEL
Being an information technology-based platform, it has a
substantial scope of large-scale scalability. Through its digital
platforms, including Marketplace, Smart Centre Solutions and
EPR LOOP, Recykal channels over 10,000 metric tonnes of
recyclables every month. The company has plans to scale and
influence upwards of 2 million metric tonnes of plastic annually
by 2025. The waste collected from different segments, including
consumers, businesses, aggregators and the informal sector, is
channelized to recyclers, co-processors and cement kilns (with
EPR linkage). There are several other digital waste management
solution providers spread across Indian towns and cities. The large
The company has plans to scale
gap in the Indian waste-management sector allows for an ideal and influence upwards of

2 million
market for innovative digital ventures.

SUSTAINABILITY OF MODEL
Circulate Capital, a Singapore-based investment management
company, has invested in Recykal to expand its business. The metric tonnes of plastic
funding will enable Recykal to expand its network of Recykal annually by 2025
points to over 100 locations. These points are already functional
in more than 60 cities across the country. Circulate Capital has
committed $39 million to form the largest investment portfolio
dedicated to fighting plastic pollution and advancing the circular
economy for plastic waste in India (BusinessLine 2020).

46
IMPACTS

Reduce
The digital solutions provided by Recykal ensure higher rates of waste collection and recycling and unlock value for
stakeholders across the waste value chain, ensuring that more materials enter recycling streams and less move to landfills.

Reuse
Digital Foot Print:

400,000 1,000 500 100 30 25

Consumers businesses Aggregators Recyclers Municipalities States and

Recycle
Union Territories

Recykal has saved:

12.86 57.71 18.23 44.44 8,047

million-kWh million ltrs million cubic feet million ltrs of trees.
energy of oil of landfill space water

KEY LEARNINGS

„ Digitization in the waste-management sector is not only helpful in appropriately monitoring data from cities but is
also helpful in easily connecting different stakeholders and helping them match the demand and supply gaps with
sustainable and easily assessable resources.

„ There are many more platforms like kabadiwala.com that provide services such as scrap dealing through app-
based systems that are transparent and reliable. These demonstrate the impact society can make through recycling
resources.

„ There have also been short-term campaigns run via social media, connecting citizens to act cumulatively and
help reduce waste burdens. For example, the “My 10 kg Plastic” campaign run by the Indian Pollution Control
Association (IPCA), Delhi, provides services via a WhatsApp number to collect a minimum of 10 kg segregated
plastics from one’s doorstep on call.

47
 3.2. RETURN AND EARN—NEW SOUTH WALES
Reduce

SUMMARY
“Return and Earn” scheme was
Reuse

The container deposit scheme, “Return and Earn”, is a launched to achieve the goal of
litter reduction scheme introduced in the state of New
reducing the volume of litter in

40%
South Wales, Australia. It was launched on December
01, 2017 to achieve the goal of reducing the volume of
the NSW state by
Recycle

litter in the state by 40% by 2020. Since it started, the

scheme has been largely successful in reducing litter in
the environment and in boosting recycling rates.
by 2020
FIGURE 51: FUNCTIONALITY DIAGRAM OF THE “RETURN AND EARN” MODEL [NSW GOVERNMENT 2017]

BACKGROUND
In the Australian state of New South Wales, the litter
from drink containers accounts for 44% of the total
volume of litter in the state. Before the introduction
In the Australian state of New
of the Return and Earn scheme, the streets, beaches,
waterways and parks were littered with an estimated
South Wales, the litter from
quantity of 160 million containers. The yearly drink containers accounts for

44%
management of such containers incurred an approximate
cost of 162 million. To tackle this pressing issue, the state
launched a Return and Earn container deposit scheme in
2017. On the deposition of eligible drink containers, a
refund of 10 cents is offered to consumers. Return points
are established across the state to facilitate the deposition. of the total volume of
litter in the state.

48
This scheme is run by the New South Wales Government and funded by contributions from the beverage industry

Reduce
(NSW Government n.d.).

The scheme also covers cartons and cans. To help determine which containers are eligible to be returned, officials use a
container database that lists eligible and non-eligible items. Containers not eligible under the scheme can be recycled
through the household recycling collection.

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FIGURE 52: THE THREE STEPS OF THE RETURN AND EARN SCHEME [NSW GOVERNMENT 2017]

Recycle
01 Collect eligible
containers 02 Tack your containers to
a return point 03 Earn a refund
or donate

Over 600 return points have been developed for the scheme in New South Wales. They are customized as per local
requirements, depending on how many bottles, cans and cartons are to be returned. There are also different options for
receiving the refund, including electronic refunds, retail vouchers, cash and donations.

Every eligible bottle, can or carton that is returned is worth 10 cents. The return is made at a Reverse Vending Machine
which offers the option of receiving cash vouchers, electronic payment or making a donation. Over-the-counter
operations offer cash refunds and/or the opportunity to donate, whereas automated depots have the option of cash
refunds. Some of the automated depots also offer an electronic transfer.

FIGURE 53:
OPTION 1–OVER THE COUNTER
[NSW GOVERNMENT N.D.]

The Return and Earn scheme provides several options for

citizens to return containers. The depositors can choose
the option best suited to them based on how they want
to claim the credit and the proximity of the return points.
These options can be used as examples for other states and
can be adapted and altered according to the specific needs
of the geography and society. Even one out of the three
return models shown here can be a starting point as they
don’t require much space or human labour to run.

FIGURE 54:
OPTION 2- REVERSE VENDING MACHINES [NSW
GOVERNMENT N.D.]

Reverse Vending Machines are self-service machines

into which the containers are fed. Plastic containers
need to be individually returned into the plastic chute
and glass containers into the glass chute. The machine
will then read the container barcode and either accept
or reject the container based on its eligibility.

49
 FIGURE 55:
OPTION 3–AUTOMATED DEPOTS
Reduce

[NSW GOVERNMENT N.D.]

Reuse

The Automated depots are operated by service

staff. They are designed as specialist return and
recycling centres where eligible containers can be
Recycle

handed over to a service assistant for automated

counting. Once completed, the assistant will
issue a refund for the containers given.

At the over-the-counter sites, the store assistants are responsible for counting the containers and issuing a refund. Local
businesses such as news agencies or corner stores often utilize such models (NSW Government n.d.).

SUSTAINABILITY OF MODEL
The success of the Return and Earn model is based on the involvement of several stakeholders. The model and
functionality of the scheme are carefully charted out. It is structured such that each stakeholder is given a specific
responsibility that they need to execute (NSW Government n.d.).

The “Exchange for Change” is the administrator and coordinator of the “Return and Earn” scheme. Its responsibilities
include the collection of contributions from the beverage suppliers, management of the scheme’s finances and the
distribution of finances to the participants of the scheme including the network operator. It is also responsible for fraud-
risk management and community engagement including increasing awareness about the scheme.

FIGURE 56: NUMBER OF RETURN POINTS IN EACH ZONE IN NSW (AS OF MARCH 2020) [NSW GOVERNMENT N.D.]

50
The return points are managed by a network operator TOMRA Cleanaway. They ensure that the returned containers are

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recycled and that the refunds are issued to the customers. They receive a network fee dependent on the material type of
the container collected.

The design and development of the scheme are managed by the scheme regulator the NSW EPA. They also manage the
registration of all eligible beverage containers as well as the obligations and performance of contracts. This is done in

Reuse
collaboration with the scheme coordinator and the network operator.

A supplier under the scheme is defined as any business that sells beverages in containers or gives them away as part of
a promotion. This includes manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and retailers. A first supplier is mandated to enter

Recycle
into a supply agreement with Exchange for Change and verify that its supplied container is registered with the EPA. A
first supplier contributes to the scheme in proportion to its share of containers supplied and thus financially helps the
Refund and Earn scheme.

The refunds for eligible containers collected through kerbside recycling bins can be claimed by the material recovery
facility (MRF) operators registered with the NSW EPA.

IMPACTS

„ The Return and Earn model has provided a valuable stream of clean recyclable material.
„ Since launching on 1 December 2017, the scheme has collected over 8 billion containers.
„ The state has 600 return points, over 1000 reverse vending machines and has helped reduce the volume of
eligible drink container litter across the state.
„ In 2020, drink container litter was reduced by 52% with 78% of New South Wales adults participating in
return and earn.
„ A total of 755,000 tonnes of materials has been recycled.
„ Around 700 direct jobs were created within the network alone.

51
 KEY LEARNINGS
Reduce

„ The Return and Earn scheme has ensured

convenience of usage by setting up over 600
Reuse

return points.

„ Central and localized return points facilitate

the collection efficiency of the scheme.
Recycle

„ Automated counting and verification of A total of

265,000
containers and automated depots using
the latest technology allow compacting of
containers, enabling more efficient transport
of collected materials.

„ Community engagement has been key to the

success of the scheme. This was maximized
tonnes
of materials has been re-
through marketing and awareness campaigns.
cycled

EXAMPLE IN INDIA:
Thaely – Sustainable Sneakers
Thaely is a sustainable sneakers brand founded by Akshay Bhave. It makes sneakers using components recycled
from waste materials. It was named after the Hindi word for plastic bags. The brand offers a practical solution to
the plastic problem through its Y2K Pro sneakers crafted using upcycled plastic waste. The sneakers are made in
India and use waste materials from plastic bags and bottles to create the shoe’s upper body, while the sole comprises
recycled rubber. As of August 2020, the brand has recycled 36,000 plastic bags and 25,000 bottles.

ThaelyTex is a revolutionary new material that looks and feels like leather but is made entirely out of waste plastic
bags; the production process does not need any additional chemicals, nor does it release any toxic chemicals as a
by-product. The production process is designed to be safe and
cost-effective and to have the lowest emissions possible. Each FIGURE 57: THAELY SUSTAINABLE SNEAKER
DESIGN (THAELY)
sneaker uses ThaelyTex, which is made using ten upcycled waste
plastic bags. ThaelyTex is produced in collaboration with TrioTap
Technologies in Gurugram, Haryana. The waste plastic bags
are collected from housing complexes, offices and stores in and
around Gurugram. The collected plastic bags are then segregated,
sanitized and processed into ThaelyTex at TrioTap Technologies’
Gurugram waste-management unit. This allows them to reduce
carbon emissions (Afthab 2021).

52
3.3. SHOP WITH YOUR WASTE CAMPAIGN – BARTER SYSTEM

Reduce
SUMMARY

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The ‘Shop With Your Waste’ (SWYW) campaign is an initiative
by the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP), which is
aided by GIZ and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) MILK
POUCHES CARDBOARD PET BOTTLES
under the waste NAMA project. The campaign aims to increase

Recycle
citizen participation in achieving the circular economy goal.
The SWYW campaign acts as a barter system where citizens
are encouraged to submit their clean and segregated waste
in exchange for commodities from their local grocery stores.
Currently, three types of waste are accepted by the stores in the
barter exchange: milk pouches, cardboard and PET bottles. Currently, three types of waste
When customers bring their waste to the store, it is weighed, are accepted by the stores
and in return, they can purchase items from stores based on the in the barter exchange: milk
compensation from recyclables (current market price) offered to pouches, cardboard and PET
them.
bottles.
FIGURE 58: SNIPPET FROM “SHOP WITH YOUR WASTE” GOOGLE FORM

Support from CCP

Recyclables Recyclables
Your store
Waste participating in Waste Dealer
Generator campaign
Goods Money

Support from GIZ-TERI in deciding price and

providing demo of model and data recording

BACKGROUND FIGURE 59: SWYW SHOP IN PANAJI WITH 3 COLLECTION BINS

The recyclable items in Panaji

comprise of 13.25% glass, 1.49%
metal, 7.29% paper, 13.24% plastics
and 7.16% textiles. As part of the
city’s policy, the citizens of Panaji
segregate their waste daily. The city
currently has a 5-way segregation
policy that is being upgraded into
a 16-way segregation policy. Panaji
also has several material-processing
facilities that are well-linked to the
city’s dry-waste collection centres
in the city’s 12 zones (Manuja &
Rathi 2020). The SWYW campaign
is a step forward in the city’s waste
management efforts to incentivise and
increase citizen participation.

53
 FIGURE 60: SWYW SHOP IN MAPUSA WITH 3 COLLECTION BINS
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle

The SWYW campaign acts as a barter system that allows the exchange of households’ waste for goods from the grocery
store. First, the shop owner who is interested in participating in the campaign must register themselves via CCP through
a Google form or get in touch with a designated contact. Once registered, the CCP will provide three large bins which
are labeled so the shop owner can store the waste given by citizens. The CCP also connects the shop owner to the city’s
MRF which oversees picking up the waste at least once a week. The shops can also leverage other ongoing schemes, like
the one run by Goa Dairy which provides 500 mililitres of milk in exchange for 25 clean and empty packets of milk
(500ml). Under the system, if the bins get full earlier, the shopkeeper can also contact the MRF facility and request for a
pick-up. The shop owners are paid immediately at the time of pick up for the waste they provide, and the rate they get is
based on the current market rate.

There are several other CSR and citizen-initiated efforts to recover plastics from city dumps, beaches and public spaces
and send them back into the circular economy loop. Two notable campaigns are given in the box:
FIGURE 61: IMPACTS OF MUMBAI PLASTIC RECYCLOTHON

54
 The Mumbai Plastic Recyclothon

Reduce
In a unique initiative, The Mumbai Plastic Recyclothon, an award-winning plastic recycling citizen initiative
of Project Mumbai has announced that it will donate one kilogram of grocery for every kilogram of plastic waste
donated by Mumbaikars. Project Mumbai started its first campaign, which involved collecting plastic waste and
converting them into usable furniture, in October 2018 and subsequently did another one in October 2019 (Raja

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2020).

My 10 Kg Plastic Campaign

Recycle
The “My 10 Kg Plastic” campaign was conceived by the IPCA in July 2019 and adopted by Dabur India Ltd. under
its CSR initiative with the support of the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC). It was designed to create
awareness of plastic waste collection and its segregation at the source and to stop littering. Under this campaign,
general citizens and people from resident welfare associations, schools, corporates, and institutes participated
in segregating their plastic and storing it separately. Each month, the IPCA collected the plastic waste stored by
them and sent it to the respective recycling/ co-processing units. The participating citizens and organizations were
given an appreciation certificate and a product made from recycled material. Under this initiative, various activities
such as cleaning drives, awareness workshops and competitions were conducted to generate awareness. In the
year 2020, 6,367 kilogrammes of plastic waste were collected from residences, offices, societies, schools and
colleges; the non-recyclable plastic waste was sent to an Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS)
waste-to-energy plant for its proper disposal (Indian Pollution Control Associaton , 2019).

SUSTAINABILITY OF MODEL
This unique campaign provides opportunities to help manage waste through citizen participation, while also creating
economic opportunities for entrepreneurs having space to deal in recyclable commodities. The citizens are incentivized
to segregate and collect their waste at home until they have enough to give to the store. Since they get store credit
for their waste, they can buy something for that value. The shop owners are incentivized to participate in this system
because they obtain a small margin of ₹1–2 for every kilogramme of waste they trade. Their investment costs or
additional costs are small, with the only major requirement being space. It is estimated that the shop owners can earn
up to ₹1,000–3,000 for every tonne of waste they trade. The MRF facilities are also incentivized to participate in the
campaign because they can easily collect a large amount of waste from one point, and they have an assured waste flow
from the associated shop.

IMPACTS

„ In just over 6 months of the initial launch of the SWYW campaign, a total of 432 kilogrammes of waste was
collected from 5 stores that had registered in the campaign and shop owners earned extra money during this
period.

55
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle

KEY LEARNINGS

„ Within 24 hours of starting the SWYW

campaign, one full bin of PET bottles was
collected in the store. This demonstrated the
enthusiasm and willingness of citizens to
participate in the barter system.

„ The barter system is designed in such a way

that all stakeholders including customers, shop
owners and MRF facilities benefit from it;
they are incentivized to participate.

„ The barter system encourages citizens to

segregate their waste and increases the
percentage of source segregation which further
helps urban local bodies (ULBs) in waste
management.

„ Since the bins were provided by the ULB,

the shop owners did not incur any additional
investment or maintenance costs.

56
 Reduce
3.4 RE>PAL – PELLETS FROM RECYCLED PLASTIC WASTE

SUMMARY

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FIGURE 62: NESTABLE PALLET [RE>PAL]
Re>Pal is an Australian company with its main factory in East Java,
Indonesia. Re>Pal was founded by Matthew Darby in 2002. He
experimented for over 15 years with the ThermoFusion process as a

Recycle
solution to the growing plastic waste problem. He was especially keen
to find a solution for reusing thin film or LDPE plastics and for the
mixing of a waste plastic stream. The first test plant for the process
was opened in Bali in 2012, followed by a full-scale operation and
opening of a modern factory in Pasuruan, Indonesia in 2016.

Re>Pal uses pallet technology to offer environmentally responsible pallets made from 100% waste plastic. These pallets
can be used for a wide range of applications across business supply chains in South-East Asia and Australia. Re>Pal
manages and supplies its recycled and reclaimed plastic pallets to many global and domestic companies, including
Unilever, Veolia, Nestle and Givaudan by offering environmentally friendly and affordable solutions.

BACKGROUND
The use of wooden pallets for shipping is a growing environmental concern. A 2017 study from Deakin University
revealed that in the Australian market alone, there are over 140 million pallets in use – the majority are wooden. While
wood may seem to be the more environmentally friendly option compared to plastic, it is not the case anymore due to
the ongoing development of recyclable plastic for use as pallets. Additionally, plastic pallets are more lightweight and
durable compared to wooden pallets (Retallack 2021).

Range International estimates that 40% of the world’s timber supply is used for making pallets, posing a large threat of
further deforestation. The Modern and Peerless Research Group conducted annual surveys garnering 176 responses from
pallet users, and the results were published in a 2021 report. The report shows that over 90% of users continue to use
wooden pallets. Hence, a more sustainable alternative made from recycled plastic saves trees while also removing plastic
waste from landfills (Michel 2021).

FIGURE 63: TYPES OF PALLETS USED FOR TRANSPORTATION OF GOODS (2018-2021) [PEERLESS RESEARCH GROUP]
What types of pallets do you use?
93%
93%
Wood 94%
94%
45%
Plastic 35%
37%
37%
18%
14%
Wood composite 12%
12%
10%
Metal 6%
6%
6%
8%
4%
Cardboard or corrugated 4%
4% 2017 2018
1% 2020 2021
Other 2%
1%
1% Source: Peerless Research Group (PRG)

57
 SCALABILITY OF MODEL
Reduce

The Indonesian logistics market is estimated to reach $240 billion by 2021. Indonesia is a rapidly developing country
for supply chain and logistics management with a GDP of over $1 trillion. However, Indonesia is also a large plastic
producer, producing over 1.15 and 2.5 million tonnes of new plastic every year. Re>Pal launched their recycled plastic
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pallets across Asia’s major manufacturing hubs including China, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, which were identified
as having the greatest initial potential. Re>Pal interacted with major pallet-using stakeholders and identified that even
though companies are eager to make their supply chains more sustainable, they are often limited by increased costs.
Therefore, Re>Pal is an ideal solution
Recycle

FIGURE 64: MARKET RESEARCH CONDUCTED FOR RE>PAL [BASE CREATIVE]

that both fits the budget of companies
Top economies assumed to use pallets in 2014 (billion $)
and also encourages a circular economy
business model (Re>Pal n.d.; Re>Pal
China 1333
Pallets 2020).
Malaysia 104
Re>Pal has already partnered with some
of the major players in the production Thailand 100
industry using pallets, including Nestle,
Vietnam 95
Tetra Pak, LF logistics, Danone, DHL
and Uniliver. Re>Pal offers customized Philippines 40
solutions for each of the companies so
that the pallet is designed to transport Australia 39
its products. Re>Pal has designed over
Market Share of Pallets
10 different pallets with varying sizes
and dimensions to meet the needs of its partners.

FIGURE 65: RECYCLED PLASTICS USED IN MAKING RE>PAL PALLETS [RE>PAL OFFICIAL WEBSITE]

IMPACTS
„ It takes around 13 kilogrammes of mixed plastic waste to make one Re>Pal pallet; that is 13 kilogrammes of
waste removed from landfills.
„ Around 4 trees are saved for every wooden pallet that is replaced by a Re>Pal pallet.
„ Using recycled plastic pallets helps make supply chains more sustainable and helps companies achieve the
2030 sustainable development goals.
„ By reducing the usage of wood, Re>Pal reduces deforestation and pressure on sensitive ecosystems.

58
 Reduce
Reuse
Recycle
KEY LEARNINGS

„ Finding solutions for mixed plastics and low-

value plastics is one of the biggest challenges
because a high level of segregation is required
for recycling plastics efficiently. Re>Pal
largely overcomes this issue with its patented
ThermoFusion process.

„ Using waste as a raw material in making new

products is a key to circular economy business
models and for keeping waste out of landfills.

„ The environmental impacts of wooden versus

plastic pallets can be determined based on
different criteria such as durability, costs,
carbon footprint, etc. However, it is important
to consider that recycling material can often
be more sustainable than harvesting newer/
virgin materials.

59
 IMPORTANT TAKE-AWAYS
FROM CASE STUDIES:
Cities should start looking at practices to reduce waste. Thereafter, what has been used needs to be reused and what
cannot be reused needs to be recycled. The table below highlights some strategic interventions for cities which can help
them adopt 3R’s more effectively.

Reduce Reuse Recycle

Awareness-raising campaigns The “points” or “rewards” system Using the latest technology that
and IEC tools can play a key role used for clothing sale and is transparent allows for enabling
in motivating citizens to avoid exchange encourages customers a more efficient process in waste
single-use plastic and switch to to send clothes into the circular management and can lead to the
sustainable alternatives. economy loop rather than sending successful implementation of
them to landfills. policies.
Short-term Cities can motivate enterprises
and citizens to adopt sustainable Cities should also leverage
choices and target to become zero the existing opportunities like
waste. diversion of milk packets, PET
Social media platforms are key Convenience and affordability are and cardboard through buy back/
tools in spreading awareness and key factors in getting more people barter systems.
reaching a large number of people. to use reusable packaging.
The change in policy regarding the Skilled workers such as weavers, Digitization in the waste
use of single-use plastic is pushing need to be formally organized and management sector is not only
local bodies to come up with associated into self-help groups helpful in monitoring data from
innovative solutions that include that can benefit from linkages cities but is also helpful in easily
the use of sustainable alternatives through NGOs and municipal connecting different stakeholders
targeting zero-waste units. corporations. and helping them match the
demand and supply gaps with
Policies around design for sustainable and easily assessable
recyclability to allow easy resources.
refurbishment of products.

Research around making products

from waste which are more
sustainable and can infuse wealth
Long-term to waste.
Transparent engagement with the R&D towards affordable and ULB intervention into the
population by holding meetings in reusable packaging must be facilitation of a new idea
public can gather input and involve funded and entrepreneurs can bridge the gap between
the local population to implement a venturing into this can be entrepreneurs and MRF facilities
strategy. incentivized and supported to and can channel more waste into
Cities can benefit from waste expand the business. the recycling and recovery system.
reduction strategies involving
Policies around the promotion of
entrepreneurs and limiting plastics
the usage of recycled products
from entering the environment.
should be looked at. This can
help bring more value to waste,
indirectly increasing the collection
of recyclables.

60
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