Swinging into sustainability

Sixteen parks across four cities received a vibrant, eco-friendly transformation. The 'YiPPee! Better World: Create Magic' campaign showcases an inspiring model for plastic recycling and sustainability, with a playful twist to the processFour major cities across the country just got a playful upgrade! New, bright-orange swings, chairs, see-saws, jungle gyms, and benches have sprouted in several parks, all made from recycled plastic. Not only is this fun for the kids, but it's a win for the environment too!Sunfeast YiPPee!, one of India’s leading Noodles and Pasta brands from ITC Ltd, came up with an idea to educate, raise awareness, collect, and upcycle plastic waste with the aim of setting a course towards a sustainable future. And what better way to do it than by engaging with the younger generation? Thus, the ‘YiPPee! Better World: Create Magic’ campaign was born. The initiative, organised in association with The Times of India, kicked off with the identification of 10 parks in each city - Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, and Bengaluru. In collaboration with local municipal bodies, these parks were listed on the website www.sunfeastyippee.com/createmagic/, inviting people to participate by voting for the top four parks in each city they wished to see transformed.Citizens were encouraged to participate by both voting for their preferred parks and contributing plastic waste for recycling. Through a coordinated collection drive, plastic was gathered and used to revamp the equipment. The votes on the website were used to shortlist the top four parks for transformation. A total of 11,119 kg of plastic was collected for upcycling as play equipment in all the 16 parks selected across four cities. The initiative was rolled out with NGO partner Recycle India. The parks with newly installed play equipment are now open to the public.Speaking on the initiative, Suresh Chand, vice president and head of Marketing, Snacks Noodles & Pasta, ITC Ltd, said, “YiPPee!, at its core, has always believed in encouraging ‘The Better Way’ of doing things. Through ‘YiPPee! Better World: Create Magic’, we would want to spread awareness on the need to take climate-positive actions among the community and demonstrate the innovative ways in which post-consumption plastic waste can be utilised to deliver consumer delight in ways that are tangible and impact them closer to home.”Ashish Agarwal, secretary of Recycle India Foundation, said, “This collaboration introduced the idea of recycling waste products into playground equipment for kids, which is a pioneering project in India. After months of planning, witnessing the joy that these efforts have birthed among children has given us immense happiness.”Parks transformed