On the occasion of ‘Swachhta Week’ between 25th Sept to 2nd Oct, ITC Limited, India’s leading FMCG company brought new momentum in Delhi NCR through its flagship solid waste management programme WOW (Wellbeing Out of Waste). ITC’s WOW programme already covers over 1.5 crore citizens across India.
This year, ITC Limited has mobilized frontline warriors and citizen groups for waste management best practices through its year-round waste management initiatives which included a range of on-ground activities in the national capital. This is done by working with local bodies like SDMC (South Delhi Municipal Corporation) and MoHUA (Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs) to undertake door-to-door campaigns to promote source segregation of waste and sensitize citizens on the importance of fostering a ‘zero-waste’ ecosystem. These initiatives formed part of the larger ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ campaign to mark 75 years of independence.
To garner larger citizen participation in waste management, ITC WOW has designated special coordinators for the South Delhi wards identified by SDMC for a range of initiatives under the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ campaign. Each participating ward has a team of 30 members with representatives from ITC WOW, SDMC field staff, ragpickers, volunteers, and are being led by ‘Swachhta Ambassadors’.
As a part of the special initiative, demonstrations were made to residents on source segregation and home composting techniques with an aim to reducing waste going to landfills. Awareness was created through puppet shows, rallies, kiosks and selfie zones in key locations. School children also participated actively in the awareness campaign.
The campaign saw waste management best practices and innovations being exhibited by different stakeholders from each ward including waste entrepreneurs, volunteers and the ‘safaimitra’, households, small-scale vendors, citizen groups, Self Help Groups, Urban Local Bodies and Resident Welfare Associations and so on. The most innovative and impactful initiatives by different stakeholder groups were acknowledged through a public felicitation programme, on Friday, October 1.
Commenting on this initiative, the South Delhi Municipal Commissioner, Mr Gyanesh Bharti said “ITC has been our active partner in promoting the cause of source segregation amongst citizens in Delhi. We are happy to be associated with the Company’s flagship waste management programme ITC WoW, which is an effective 360-degree model, aimed at reducing waste at the landfills. I congratulate all the citizen groups for coming up with innovative solutions to combat the menace of solid waste. Our joined efforts will go a long way in making our National Capital a role model for waste management in the country.”
Mr. Vadiraj Kulkarni , Divisional Chief Executive , Paperboards and Specialty Papers Division, ITC Limited, said, “We at ITC are proud to be partnering the State Governments and the Municipal Corporations to create an enabling ecosystem to foster best practices in waste management, towards a shared goal of nurturing a circular economy. ITC has been spearheading a large-scale solid waste management initiative through its flagship Wellbeing out of waste ‘WOW’ program, which reaches out to over 1.5 crore citizens across the country. We stand committed to significantly strengthening our waste management initiatives, including in the national capital, in days to come.”
ITC’s waste management programme aims to ensure that 100% of packaging introduced by the company is reusable, recyclable, or compostable in the next decade.