Efforts are on to make Puri’s Rath Yatra, one of the oldest and biggest festivals of India, free from used PET bottles. FMCG company Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB) in collaboration with Anandana, the Coca-Cola India Foundation, Puri Municipality, District Administration (Puri), Odisha Development Management Programme and Y4D Foundation has inaugurated the ‘Used PET Bottle-Free Puri Rath Yatra 2025’ initiative for the upcoming Puri Rath Yatra. The festival is set to commence on June 27.
The Rath Yatra, a centuries-old chariot procession hosted in Odisha’s Puri, attracts millions of devotees from across the country and beyond. Given the massive footfall, the CSR initiative is particularly relevant, supporting city-wide cleanliness efforts through the collection of used PET bottles from June 27 to July 5, 2025.
Throughout the Rath Yatra, taking place from June 27 to July 5, a workforce of over 180 volunteers will be deployed across various locations, including Pallishree Mela Ground, Bholanath Vidya Pith, Puri Main Bus Stand, Talabania Temporary Bus Stand, Puri Railway Station, Badasankha, Digabareni Square, and beach points like Swargadwar and Hotel Shreehari.
“Managing plastic waste during high-footfall events like the Rath Yatra in Puri is a shared responsibility and requires collective action. Through PET collection points, volunteer-led engagement, and awareness outreach, we are humbled to play a role in making responsible disposal easier and more accessible for everyone attending,” expressed Devyani R L Rana, Vice President, Public Affairs, Communications, Sustainability, Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia.
Bins to be placed across Puri for disposing PET bottles
To facilitate responsible disposal of PET bottles, 200 bins will be strategically placed throughout the city, and help desks along with trained vendors will be stationed in temple and beach zones to assist visitors. The initiative will be flagged off one day before the festival, on June 26, with participation from civic and corporate partners. These volunteers will educate tourists on proper PET segregation, ensuring that used bottles are correctly sorted into designated bins.
Street plays to raise awareness at major locations
Street plays will be held at key locations to raise public awareness and encourage participation in the collection, segregation, and recycling of used PET bottles. Earlier, HCCB organised awareness-building activities, including a used PET collection drive on June 6 from Pampoti Baraf to Chennabai Baraf in Puri, followed by a plogging activity on June 16 from Gundicha Temple to Badasankha Vegetable Market. The drive will serve as a powerful reminder of how coordinated civic engagement and corporate responsibility can together build a future with responsible PET bottle collection, segregation, and recycling practices in Odisha.
Himanshu Priyadarshi, Chief Public Affairs and Sustainability Officer, HCCB, stated, “We believe real change happens when businesses, communities, and the government come together to work towards one goal. The Rath Yatra brings together people from all over the country, and with that comes a shared responsibility to care for the city that hosts them. Through our ‘Green Sweep’ initiative this year, we will be working closely with civic partners to set up strategic collection points, deploy trained volunteers, and introduce creative engagement tools like street plays to raise awareness.”
