Jaya, 10, is a student in a government school in Mumbai. Her parents are from a weak socio-economic background, but they are committed to educating their daughter and hope that she will become an IAS officer when she grows up. Jaya loves going to school and learning new things and aspires to be a teacher someday.

While her school has committed teachers, and hardworking students like Jaya, they had been struggling with lack of good infrastructure for a long time.

Jaya says, “I love going to school. I only wished that we did not have to sit on the floor especially in the monsoons. Sometimes the roof of our classroom would also leak when it rained. But now that’s all changed, and I love my school even more.”

Jaya’s classroom has a new roof now and new desks that she and her friends love. Both these things have been made from recycled Tetra Pak cartons. Yes, the same Tetra Pak cartons which safely package our food products (like milk and juices). They can be recycled and put to such innovative use.

Did you know that Tetra Pak cartons are primarily paper-based and every part of them is recyclable, once the cartons find their way to a collection centre? Since 2010, Tetra Pak has been championing a unique initiative called Go Green which encourages Mumbaikars to deposit used cartons at over 175 collection centres across the city and help make desks, notebooks, roofing sheets, garden benches and many other useful things. To raise awareness about the difference that every carton can make, especially for the lesser privileged children of Mumbai, Tetra Pak launched a campaign called “Cartons Le Aao, Classroom Banao” A lot of thought and hard work aimed at easing the school experience of less-privileged kids has resulted in this initiative.

An initiative which has become a movement

In the last eight years, more than 26 lakh cartons have been collected and recycled through the initiative.  More than 250 desks and 20,000 notebooks have reached children across Mumbai. And thousands of smiles have been sparked.

Cartons Le Aao Classroom Banao, an extension of the Go Green Programme, covers over 45 Sahakari Bhandar, Reliance Fresh, and Reliance Smart stores and over 130 other locations across Mumbai including RWAs, schools, public libraries, corporate offices and more.

You too can contribute towards the education of less-privileged kids

Every second, about 5,500 Tetra Pak cartons are consumed across the world. Imagine the number of desks, notebook and roofs all these cartons can be used to make. Most of us consume beverages from Tetra Pak cartons every day, but many of us don’t spare a thought about what happens to the cartons when we put them in a bin. Next time you have an empty carton in your hand, here’s what you should do:

Let’s join the movement, and think twice before throwing away our used Tetra Pak cartons. If you want to know more about the campaign, you can click here.

If you want to make a difference by just a simple act, you can look-up Tetra Pak cartons collection centres nearest to you,here.