• An initiative to refurbish playground equipment in four Mumbai parks using waste plastic
• Accompanied by large-scale awareness drives on plastic waste management and plastic waste collection drives

Sunfeast YiPPee!, an instant Noodle & Pasta brand from ITC Ltd., has launched its "YiPPee! Better World: Create Magic" initiative; which aims to educate and raise awareness on the need to collect and upcycle plastic waste. The magic this initiative seeks to create is by involving the community and equipping parks near them with benches, swings, see-saws, etc., made of the very plastic collected during the initiative.

This initiative was kicked off with the identification of ten parks in each city (Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Kolkata, and Bengaluru) which were in need of refurbishment. Collaborating with local municipal bodies, the shortlisted parks were made accessible on the website, www.sunfeastyippee.com/createmagic/, inviting citizens to actively participate in the decision-making process and vote for the top 4 parks they wished to see transform.

Citizens were encouraged not only to vote for their preferred park but to also contribute to a large-scale plastic waste collection drive with designated collection centres across each city. Following the voting and collection process, the top 4 parks in each city to be transformed were announced in February '24. In Mumbai, the identified parks will be transformed in March '24 with park equipment like swings, see-saws, jungle gyms and benches made from 2500 kg of upcycled plastic waste. The selected parks in the city that are being transformed are - Dhote Udyan Park (Mahim), Priyadarshini Park (Malabar Hill), Swami Vivekanand Park (Mahim), and Balasaheb Thakre Udyan Park (Lower Parel). The initiative has been rolled out with NGO Partner, Recycle India.

A grand ceremony marked the inauguration of the park equipment in Dhote Udyan Park (Mahim) celebrating the collaborative efforts of the community, YiPPee! that made this possible. The inauguration event was graced by dignitaries - Mr. Jeetendra Pardeshi (Superintendent of Gardens & Tree Officer, BMC) and representatives from ITC Ltd., Recycle India.

Speaking on the initiative, Suresh Chand, Vice President & 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 utilized to deliver consumer delight in ways that are tangible and impact them closer to home."