Overview

On 5 October 2026, the Government of Maharashtra, Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) and Hindustan Coca‑Cola Beverages (HCCB) inaugurated the Thane PET Collection Centre as part of the expansion of the Maha r‑PET Abhiyaan.

Key Components of the Programme

  • Dedicated PET collection bins have been placed across the city to enable source segregation of used PET bottles.
  • Retailers receive a Maha r‑PET Participation Certificate and a Green Cool Dukaan sticker to recognise active contribution.
  • Three electric vehicles were flagged off to handle last‑mile collection, improving efficiency and reducing emissions.
  • Benches fabricated from recycled PET collected through the initiative were unveiled, demonstrating circular‑economy product applications.

Official Remarks

Minister for Animal Husbandry, Environment & Climate Change, Smt. Pankaja Munde, said the project marks a shift from “use and throw” to “use and collect” and announced that the programme will be rolled out next in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nashik and Beed districts. Avinash Kant Kumar, Head of Integrated Supply Chain at HCCB, highlighted that the centre will create a traceable supply chain for recyclable PET, enable segregation at source and supply food‑grade PET for high‑value recycling.

About Maha r‑PET Abhiyaan

The initiative, launched by the Government of Maharashtra, is a statewide movement aimed at improving collection, recovery and recycling of used PET bottles through awareness, source segregation, retailer participation and dedicated collection infrastructure. Its objective is to keep used PET bottles separate for recycling, reduce landfill burden and support circular‑economy goals.

Hindustan Coca‑Cola Beverages – Company Profile

HCCB was incorporated on 14 February 1997 and today serves more than 20 lakh retailers, approximately 2,000 distributors and employs over 5,200 staff. The company works with about 250,000 farmers for its agricultural inputs. Headquartered in Bengaluru, HCCB operates in ten states and 236 districts of South and West India. It runs 14 factories, including two state‑of‑the‑art plants in Maharashtra at Pirangut (Pune district) and Wada (Palghar district), with an upcoming plant at Lote Parshuram in Ratnagiri district. HCCB’s portfolio comprises 37 products across eight categories, including Coca‑Cola, Thums Up, Sprite, Minute Made, Maaza, SmartWater, Kinley, Limca and Fanta.

Participants at the Inauguration

The ceremony was attended by Minister Pankaja Munde, MLA Sanjay Kelkar, MLCs Niranjan Davkhare and Madhavi Naik, IAS officer Rahul Rekhawar (member secretary, MPCB), Additional Collector Harishchandra Patil (TMC), Himanshu Priyadarshi (Chief Public Affairs, Communication and Sustainability Officer, HCCB) and cultural personalities Prasad Oak, Shivani Surve, Amit Sial and rapper Dino James, together with community partners, retailer and hotel‑owner associations.

Expected Impact

The Thane PET Collection Centre is intended to act as a dedicated aggregation point for used PET bottles, channeling them into authorised recycling streams and improving traceability. The combination of dedicated bins, retailer incentives and electric‑vehicle‑supported collection is expected to increase recovery rates and generate a supply of recycled PET for high‑value applications, thereby advancing Maharashtra’s circular‑economy objectives.