Kolkata : As Kolkata prepares for Durga Puja, Anandana – The Coca-Cola India Foundation, as part of its ongoing Maidaan Saaf campaign, is extending its efforts to encourage responsible waste management through two initiatives in the city: the distribution of reusable tote bags at Gariahat and SS Hogg Market, one of the city’s well-known shopping destinations and a PET bottle collection drive at the iconic Ahiritola Sarbojanin Durgotsav pandal, ensuring that discarded plastic bottles are collected and recycled, turning one of North Kolkata’s highest-footfall festival zones into a model for eco-friendly celebrations.
Timed with the peak pre-festive shopping rush, reusable tote bags were distributed at Gariahat and SS Hogg Market from October 14 to 15. Organized in collaboration with Raah Charitable Trust, the initiative actively engaged local vendors participating at the point of purchase. By involving shopkeepers directly, the campaign successfully nudged thousands of festive shoppers to make more conscious choices by opting for reusable alternatives.
Extending these efforts to festive gatherings, a PET bottle collection drive is currently underway at the Ahiritola Sarbojanin Durgotsav pandal from October 13 to 21. This initiative encourages the collection of used PET bottles during the festive period, highlighting the importance of responsible waste disposal at high-footfall public gatherings.
According to Debjani Singh, Director & Founder, Raah Charitable Trust, “Gariahat and SS Hogg Market experiences a massive surge in footfall during the pre-Puja shopping season, making it the ideal landscape to drive behavioural change. By partnering with Anandana, we have been able to put practical, reusable alternatives directly into the hands of shoppers and vendors alike, making a sustainable lifestyle choice seamless and accessible.”
Durga Puja is the very heartbeat of Kolkata’s cultural fabric, bringing millions together through shared experiences, shopping, and celebration,” said Saloni Goel, Senior Director ESG Value Creation and Commercialization, Coca-Cola India. “This festive fervor also presents a powerful opportunity to encourage simple, everyday choices that lead to cleaner public spaces. Through Maidaan Saaf, we aim to inspire collective community action, contributing to a more conscious and sustainable festive experience for everyone.”
Maidaan Saaf is Anandana’s ongoing waste management campaign focused on promoting responsible waste collection, segregation and recycling at high-footfall cultural and sporting occasions. The Durga Puja reusable tote bag initiative marked Anandana’s first-ever activation around the festival and builds on its efforts to introduce reusable alternatives across other high-footfall cultural occasions. Similar reusable collection bags were also distributed during Tirupati Brahmotsavam and the Amarnath Yatra, extending the campaign’s community-focused approach across diverse public spaces.
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