MUMBAI: The Maharashtra environment and climate change department on Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages for the collection and recycling of used PET bottles across the state, officials said.The agreement was signed during Mumbai Climate Week 2026 in the presence of state environment minister Pankaja Munde. According to the department, this is the first time Coca-Cola has entered into a formal MoU with a state government in India for structured PET bottle collection and recycling.The initiative will be implemented under the “Maha-rPET Campaign”, which aims to establish organised systems for post-consumer PET waste collection. The department stated that the partnership is intended to promote sustainable waste management practices and support circular economy objectives.The campaign will be rolled out in Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Panvel, Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Beed and Palghar. Collection points are proposed to be set up at retail outlets, hotels, workplaces and other public locations. Awareness drives and information-education activities on responsible PET disposal will also be conducted in coordination with schools, institutions and local self-governing bodies.Officials said the agreement is designed to combine policy-level oversight with on-ground implementation through a public-private framework. Secretary of the environment and climate change department Jayashree Bhoj and director of the state climate action cell Abhijit Ghorpade signed the MoU on behalf of the government.
