PepsiCo, Coca-Cola among top 5 polluters in Himalayan Cleanup Campaign 2024

Data shows 87.7% of collected waste is plastic, highlighting the crisis in the Himalayas

Once again, PepsiCo India, CG Foods, Parle, Coca-Cola India, and ITC have been identified as the top five polluters of the Indian Himalayan Region for 2024, according to findings from The Himalayan Cleanup campaign. It is noteworthy that they were among the top 20 polluters in 2022 as well.

Along with the top five polluters, Perfetti Van Melle, Hindustan Nestle, Mondelez India, GCMMF (Amul), Tej Ram Dharam Pal, Trimurti Fragrances, Parle Products, Dharampal Satyapal (DS) Group, Hindustan Unilever, Haldiram’s Snacks, Surya Nepal, Dabur India, AAECG-Surya Nepal, Britannia Industries, and Ventures were found among the top 20 companies polluting the Indian Himalayan Region in The Himalayan Cleanup 2024.

The campaign, conducted across mountain states, involved volunteers cleaning up various sites and auditing the waste collected. The results were announced by the Zero Waste Himalaya platform and the Integrated Mountain Initiative (IMI) during a webinar on Zero Waste Himalaya Day on August 8, 2024, followed by a workshop held on August 12, 2024, in Gangtok, Sikkim.

Zero Waste Himalaya and the Integrated Mountain Initiative have led The Himalayan Cleanup (THC) since 2018, using waste and brand audits to identify companies polluting the Himalayas and urging them to take responsibility for their plastic waste under the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) rule, which has been notified by the government but sees little enforcement in the region. This year, more than 15,000 volunteers participated in the campaign, cleaning over 350 sites and auditing waste at more than 150 locations to raise awareness of the plastic pollution crisis. The highest number of cleanups was conducted in the Sikkim and Darjeeling Himalayas.

The event in Gangtok was organized in collaboration with the Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) and was attended by key officials, including the Deputy Mayor of Gangtok Municipal Corporation, the Chairperson of Darjeeling Municipality, various municipal councilors, and representatives from the State Pollution Control Board, Education Department, and civil society organizations from Darjeeling and Sikkim.

Himalayan waste crisis
IMI Secretary Roshan Rai highlighted that existing policies and practices are not sensitive or sufficient to address the waste crisis and that there is a need to acknowledge the socio-ecological importance, fragility, and challenges of the Himalayas. He emphasized the need to shift the solution narrative beyond traditional methods such as broom, bin, landfill, burn, and roll it downhill, and to move towards systemic solutions.

During the presentation of the THC 2024 findings, Priya Shrestha, a member of Zero Waste Himalaya, revealed that volunteers collected 121,739 pieces of waste, of which 87.7% was plastic. Only 24.8% of the plastic waste was recyclable, highlighting the struggle to manage and process recyclable plastics in the mountains. The prevalence of non-recyclable multilayered plastics further exacerbates the issue, with food packaging accounting for 84.2% of all plastics collected, underscoring the high consumption of junk processed foods.

The campaign also found that 22% of all beverage bottles collected were of the energy drink Sting, which is popular among students despite not being recommended for children. The intersection of food and waste was highlighted as a significant concern for mountain communities, with evidence suggesting that junk processed food is a leading cause of non-communicable diseases.

Representatives from various organizations in Sikkim and Darjeeling, such as WWF India and TIEEDI, shared their experiences and insights from the campaign. Schools also presented their cleanup activities through posters. The workshop concluded with a unanimous call for plastic-polluting companies to take responsibility for the waste they generate in the mountains.

Deputy Mayor of Gangtok, Tshering Palden, spoke on the challenges of waste segregation and the stigma associated with waste management work, emphasizing the need for behavioral change among citizens. Darjeeling Municipality Chairperson, Dipen Thakuri, highlighted the municipality’s long-term vision for waste management and the serious efforts needed to undo the environmental damage caused by previous generations.

Participating organizations and schools offered key suggestions on moving towards systemic solutions, addressing the issue of high junk food consumption, and making EPR more effective in the mountains. The event ended with a unanimous call to plastic-polluting companies to take responsibility for the plastic trash they are dumping in the mountains.

MT