With the rising problem of waste management in a country as vast as India, there was an urgent need for an initiative or service that bridged the gap between the waste generators and waste recyclers; In this scenario, Dow launches Rethink +.
The Rethink+ Initiative by Dow Chemical International Pvt. Ltd (Dow India) in collaboration with Recykal, aimed at doing the same, and was successful in creating a platform aimed at reducing the plastic waste from entering landfills, using digital technology.
The ecosystem of digital solutions by Rethink+, connects the highly fragmented waste management and recycling industry to achieve higher rates of waste collection and plastic recycling.
In an attempt to organise the waste commerce in India using digital technology – the app-based services by Recykal helped bridge the gap, which was aided through extensive programs, activities, and working with on-field recyclers.
The Rethink+ program used a blanket approach which included waste generators ranging from Domestic households, Children to Bulk generators and, Industrial waste generators. This inclusive approach led to more than 1700 MT of plastic waste being channelised and processed, with over 20 collection points and 35 awareness programs, we were able to amass a large portion of the population into the program.
The Rethink+ pilot in Pune had resounding success with many schools, RWAs (Residential Welfare Associations), Collection drives, Plogging activities and, others actively participating and welcoming the new age technology to manage their waste.
Collection drives in major Retail Malls, Schools; Awareness Campaigns in RWAs, engaging street vendors; Inclusivity drive for kabadiwalas and ragpickers; Plastic waste channeling and processing by partnering with local recyclers and aggregators; and most importantly partnering with Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and Rural Local Bodies (RLBs) in rolling out programs from grass root level for a sustainable waste ecosystem.
The initiatives and programs were designed around Creating Awareness & behavioural change, Enabling Collection, and Processing & Channelizing waste.
The Programmes by Rethink+ had significant impact on the waste management system, which reached grass root levels of the ecosystem:
- Enabled Pune’s Fashion Street shoppers and vendors to recycle using the Plastic Take Back programme by Rethink+ on Recykal’s UZED app
- Brought awareness among the local informal sector on the perks of selling the collected waste on this platform rather than burning it
- Shoppers in retail shacks and malls were encouraged to use the drop off bins for their plastic and e-waste
- Students were educated on waste segregation and recycling concepts, who proactively participated in collection drives held in schools, RWAs, and gated communities.
The campaign enabled users to use digital technology, which provides transparent and easily traceable service, to connect a consumer to a relevant recycler or aggregator – which was possible through our mobile-based apps.
Recykal is an end-to-end digital solutions provider that facilitates transactions for all stakeholders across India’s waste management and recycling value chain to promote more efficient and effective recycling of local plastic waste, to prevent it from entering the environment. Recykal’s unique, integrated approach marks India’s first digital waste-commerce (w-commerce) company that connects waste generators with waste processors and recyclers, and brand owners to solve some of the biggest challenges faced by the industry.
