Patiala News:PPCB Launches “Punjab Plastic Champions Programme” to Turn School children into Plastic Waste Champions

In a move aimed at taking plastic waste awareness and segregation to the grassroots, the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) today launched the “Punjab Plastic Champions Programme”, a school-based MLP (Multi-Layered Plastic) waste collection championship in Govt. Model Senior Secondary School of Eminence, Pheel Khana, Patiala.

The programme brings schools and students into the fight against one of the more difficult categories of plastic waste. MLP and other flexible plastic packaging – such as chips and snack packets, biscuit and confectionery wrappers, noodle packets, sachets and other similar packaging – often have limited recycling value and therefore do not find the same recovery pathways as bottles and other high-value plastics. When mixed with general waste, these materials ultimately add to the burden on landfills.

The initiative has been designed not merely as a short-term collection drive, but as an effort to build segregation and responsible waste-management habits among children at an early age. Students will be sensitised about plastic pollution and encouraged to collect MLP waste already being generated at home, keep it clean and dry, and bring it to designated collection boxes placed in their schools. PPCB will facilitate the appropriate processing and diversion of the collected material from landfills.

The programme is being implemented in partnership with the Punjab Plastic Waste Management Society (PPWMS) and Mera Patiala Main Hee Sawara (MPMHS), a local NGO. The launch event witnessed participation from representatives of more than 20 schools, including NSS/Eco-Club coordinators, teachers and students, with active support from the District Education Department, Patiala, including Dr. Ravinder pal Singh, Deputy DEO, Patiala. Schools that do not presently have NSS/Eco-Clubs have also been encouraged to establish such student-led environmental groups to promote sustained participation in environmental protection and waste-management initiatives within their campuses.

The first phase will culminate in a two-week school-level collection championship, followed by collection and quantification of the material. A second phase will subsequently extend the programme to another set of schools, with the immediate objective of covering around 50 schools in Patiala. The top-performing schools will be recognised and felicitated at PPCB’s State-level Plastic Waste Management Conference on October 10, 2026, where the Patiala school programme will also serve as a model for wider replication across Punjab.

Speaking at the launch, Ms. Reena Gupta, Chairperson, PPCB, said: “We want this to become much more than a competition or a two-week collection drive. This is a flagship model initiative through which we want to demonstrate that meaningful environmental behaviour change can begin in our schools. I am highly encouraged by the enthusiasm of the students and schools participating today, and I believe that if Patiala’s children make this programme a success, it can become an example for other states as well.”

The launch also featured Sh. Rishi Aggarwal, who was associated with and initially led the Safai Bank initiative in Maharashtra that inspired the present school-based model, and Ms. Damanjot Kaur, a young environmentalist and content creator working extensively on sustainability, plastic waste management and recycling. Both speakers interacted with students and shared practical experiences on making plastic waste management a part of everyday life. PPCB’s message to schools across Punjab is simple: the Plastic Champions movement has begun in Patiala, and there is room for many more schools to join.