India’s Carton Recycling Rates Rise Despite Growing Consumption

Rise in Recycling Rates Over the Past Decade

India’s recycling of used libation cartons has recorded substantial enhancement over the once decade, as outlined in a new study released by The Energy and coffers Institute (TERI). The sixth edition of the habituated Beverage Carton (UBC) Management Study shows that tinderbox recycling rates across surveyed metropolises have risen from 29 per cent in 2011 to 63.66 per cent in 2025. The findings come at a time when tinderbox consumption in the country continues to grow, pressing a positive shift towards indirect waste practices.

Long-Term Assessment and National-Level Progress

The study, commissioned by Tetra Pak, evaluates recovering trends across 24 metropolises and offers a long-term view of India’s progress since the first assessment further than fifteen times agone. When extended to a public scale, the current megacity-position performance translates to an estimated 48 per cent recycling rate for the country. This marks a steady rise from the former decided public rate of 45 per cent reported in 2022.

Key Findings and Industry Improvements

One of the major issues of the report is the suggestion that India now recycles roughly one in every two cartons used. This progress is linked to investments in collection systems, the expansion of recycler networks and increased public mindfulness of waste isolation. Assiduity participation through hookups and structure upgrades has further supported the rise in formal recycling figures.

City-Level Performance and Collection Efficiency

According to the study, metropolises similar as Lucknow, Pune and Bengaluru have surfaced as strong players, attributed to active collection centres, better collaboration among waste instructors and the presence of effective recycling units. The report also notes that further cartons are now entering recycling aqueducts in a pure and segregated form, supported by enterprise that encourage source-position separation and devoted recovery systems.

Growth of Waste Management Infrastructure

Over the times, India’s waste ecosystem has seen a gradational expansion of Material Recovery installations (MRFs), substations and waste dealerships. These centres play a crucial part in reducing impurity and perfecting collection effectiveness, which in turn influences recovering issues. The TERI study highlights that both formal and informal sectors remain pivotal to this frame, especially in metropolises where waste dealers serve as primary collection points.

Recommendations for Continued Enhancement

To support uninterrupted enhancement, TERI outlines several recommendations for assiduity and policymakers. These include expanding the request for recycled tinderbox-grounded products, strengthening the economics of waste dealerships, enhancing the capacity of paper manufactories to handle multi-material packaging and promoting better isolation practices among consumers. The study also suggests that a stronger Extended Patron Responsibility (EPR) frame can help attract further investment and ameliorate technology relinquishment across the recycling chain.

Conference Discussions and Industry Collaboration

The report was launched at a conference centred on perfecting tinderbox recycling systems and relating cooperative strategies to gauge indirect practices. Conversations during the event concentrated on assiduity readiness, policy direction and the significance of coordinated action across stakeholders. Actors examined ways to increase recycling capacity and insure that collection networks can support unborn growth in consumption.

Panel Discussions and Policy Insights

Panel conversations brought together representatives from recovering enterprises, exploration organisations and assiduity bodies. Their reflections emphasised the need for structure upgrades, harmonious backing mechanisms and clearer functional pathways for EPR compliance. The study reinforces that long-term collaboration will be necessary to maintain progress and help recyclable waste from entering tips.

Study Methodology and System Mapping

TERI’s assessment combines field data, scientific analysis and stakeholder inputs to collude the current performance of the UBC value chain. It reviews collection routes, functional challenges and material inflow to present a detailed understanding of how cartons move through the recycling system. The final report is deposited as a roadmap for strengthening India’s indirect frugality while reducing environmental impact linked to packaging waste.

Availability of the UBC Management Study 2025

The habituated Beverage Carton Management Study 2025 is now available for stakeholders seeking perceptivity into the country’s recycling geography and unborn openings for system-wide enhancement.