Muzaffarnagar | August 5, 2026
The Association of PET Recyclers Bharat (APR Bharat) has launched ‘Bottle Ki Recycle Yatra’, a unique public awareness and collection campaign designed to promote responsible disposal and recycling of PET bottles. The initiative seeks to educate citizens about the environmental, economic, and strategic value of PET recycling while encouraging people to view used plastic bottles as valuable resources rather than waste.
As part of the 15-day pilot campaign, a specially designed awareness van will travel across four major Kanwar Yatra locations in Muzaffarnagar and Meerut, spreading awareness among pilgrims and the general public about proper plastic waste management and the importance of segregating PET bottles. The collected bottles will be channelled into the formal recycling system for processing and reuse.
The initiative comes at a time when the Government of India is focusing on reducing import dependency, conserving foreign exchange, and promoting domestic production of over 200 import-dependent petrochemical products. With global geopolitical uncertainties and supply chain disruptions affecting industries dependent on virgin polymers, the wider adoption of recycled PET (r-PET) is being seen as a critical step towards strengthening resource security, reducing imports, and making India’s packaging industry more sustainable and self-reliant.
The campaign uses one of India’s largest religious gatherings—the Kanwar Yatra—as a platform to convey the message that plastic, when responsibly collected and recycled, is not waste but a valuable resource capable of re-entering the circular economy.
Speaking on the occasion, Gautam Jain, Director General of APR Bharat, said, “‘Bottle Ki Recycle Yatra’ is designed to make recycling a part of everyday life. A used PET bottle does not mark the end of its journey—it can become the beginning of a new bottle. The Kanwar Yatra offers us a unique opportunity to reach millions of people with the message that responsible disposal is just as important as responsible consumption.”
He added that the campaign aims not only to highlight the issue of plastic waste but also to demonstrate how collected PET bottles are transformed into valuable raw material through recycling, supporting India’s transition to a circular economy.
Jain further noted that the government has mandated the use of 40% recycled content in plastic packaging by 2026–27, but achieving this target will require greater participation at the grassroots level.
The awareness van will function as a mobile information and collection centre, educating people about PET bottle segregation and scientific waste disposal practices. APR Bharat also plans to expand the campaign to western, eastern, and southern India in the future.
Highlighting the broader significance of recycling, Jain said that amid uncertainties in the global polymer supply chain and India’s growing domestic recycling capacity, recycling is no longer limited to waste management. Instead, it has become a key pillar in building a resource-efficient, circular, and self-reliant manufacturing ecosystem, where every PET bottle collected for recycling contributes to both economic growth and environmental sustainability.
APR Bharat is India’s leading industry association representing companies engaged in the responsible recycling of food-grade PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate), working to strengthen the country’s recycling ecosystem and promote sustainable packaging solutions.
