Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB) and UNDP are celebrating this World Environment Day. They are celebrating the ‘will do’ spirit of the ‘SafaiSathis’ (sanitation workers who have been working continuously to keep the country clean by collecting and helping recycle plastic waste – even during the pandemic). SafaiSathis are the workforce behind Project Prithvi (the plastic waste management program) that HCCB and UNDP have been jointly running over the last 3 years with partner agencies and local government bodies.
HCCB’s Plastic Waste Management program engages with informal sector SafaiSathis to integrate them into formal economy through self-help groups and facilitate their linkages to various inclusion initiatives like banking, identity cards, social security like insurance schemes, etc. The program was launched in 2018 and currently operational in more than 30 locations. HCCB and UNDP have worked together during the pandemic period to reach out to 1,00,000 people including 17,000 ‘SafaiSathi’s’ with essential items such as safety kits, ration supplies, hygiene kits etc. The two organizations have also collaborated with Municipal Commissioners and City Implementing Partners to conduct awareness sessions on hygiene and safety across 30 cities.