The Meri LiFE, Mera Swachh Shehar campaign has become a historic movement led by citizens, promoting the habit of cleanliness and the principles of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (RRR) as part of urban swachhata (cleanliness). Across the nation, citizens from all walks of life have been generously contributing to the campaign by donating various items such as unused goods, old books, clothes, toys, and more. These items are then refurbished and recycled for reuse.
The campaign has witnessed the opening of nearly 13,000 RRR Centers nationwide, where citizens can donate their unused items. So far, over 17 lakh citizens have voluntarily contributed to these centers. Examples of citizen participation include people in Karnataka donating cycles, residents in Raipur depositing musical instruments, women groups in Khandwa, Madhya Pradesh conducting door-to-door collections of old clothes and shoes, and college students in Mahilpur, Punjab opening an RRR Center.
In Ghaziabad, 35 NGOs and 24 Resident Welfare Societies have collaborated to run five RRR Centers, while in Navi Mumbai, citizens have a unique Recycle Mart in association with D-Mart, where they can trade daily used items deemed as trash for redeemable coupons. Various cities like Kozhikode in Kerala, Khowai in Tripura, Dhuri in Punjab, Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra, and Margaon in Goa, among others, have witnessed citizens contributing their unused items to RRR Centers.
In addition to donations, innovative initiatives have emerged as part of the campaign. For example, school students in Manesar participated in a painting competition, where they painted walls and old tires on the theme of RRR. Citizens in Manesar even formed a human chain to advocate for RRR. In Pune’s Pimpri-Chinchwad, the RRR Center itself was constructed using waste materials.
These initiatives demonstrate citizens’ commitment to cleanliness and their active participation in promoting the principles of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The Meri LiFE, Mera Swachh Shehar campaign has truly become a people-driven movement aimed at transforming cities and promoting sustainable practices.