MUMBAI:  93.5 RED FM one of the largest and most awarded radio networks, has come-up with a new campaign ‘Plastic Ka Pack-Up’ to support Indian Government efforts on plastic ban. In Bengaluru, BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) is gearing up to levy a strict ban on ‘Single-use’ plastic. To back the same, RED FM has joined hands with BBMP to encourage Bengalureans towards making their city plastic free. As the campaign name ‘Plastic Ka Pack-Up’ suggests, RED FM is trying to make Bengaluru residents aware of the hazard caused due to plastic on our planet.

Speaking about this campaign, RED FM chief operating officer B Surendar, said, “For a brand like Red FM which takes tremendous pride in bajaoing social causes on our interactive platform, there cannot be a bigger issue to address than plastic pollution at this point in time. Bengaluru being a global city has to lead the world on such initiatives and Red FM as a leading FM brand here would go all out in supporting the city’s effort to get rid of single use plastics. We have joined hands with BBMP and the organisers of ‘India Plog Run’ to go beyond radio and create a bigger impact on ground. Other than inspiring people to join the plog run through our RJ’s, distributing cloth bags, etc. our Red FM team is also working closely with Resident Welfare Associations to create ‘No Plastic Zones’ across Bengaluru.”

Speaking about the association, BBMP  IAS. additional commissioner (SWM) Randeep D said, “We are extremely happy to associate with 93.5 RED FM who also has been spearheading the initiative to ban single-use plastic in Bengaluru. While BBMP is taking adequate measures to eradicate the menace of plastic, we urge every citizen to give-up single-use plastic at the earliest. It is our humble request to opt for plastic alternatives, especially during family functions or large community meet-ups. Further emphasizing the cause, India Plog Run was a great medium to spread awareness among masses. Breaking the curiosity of the public regarding the collection of plastic waste, our agenda was to store them at 140 drive escalation centres across the city. Our team will then hand it over to the various recyclers to ensure it doesn’t harm our planet.”

According to the government officials, the ban on the first six items of single-use plastics will clip 5 per cent to 10 per cent from India's annual consumption of about 14 million tons of plastic. These include plastic bags, cups, plates, small bottles, straws and certain types of sachets. Keeping their creative image and objective of purposeful entertainment intact, RED FM has come-up with unique on-ground events to support this social cause.

In association with the NGO’s: United Way and Go Native, RED FM supported the ‘India Plog Run’ on 2 October  which was supposed to be the world’s largest cleaning drive flagged off by Deputy Chief Minister Dr. Ashwath Narayan and the BBMP Commissioner Mr. Anil Kumar in Bengaluru. This drive is aimed at creating a culture of clean and green environment. It had participants running and picking up plastic and dry waste simultaneously. With an aim to cover 50 wards in Bengaluru, RED FM RJs distributed cloth bags especially at local supermarkets where propensity of the consumption of the single use plastic is high.

The campaign ran from 23 September to the 4 October. As part of the campaign, on-ground activations, creative and engaging content in the form of video promos, live streaming and static posts, were rolled out across social media universe of RED FM and BBMP. Looking at the announcement to ban plastic in the country, the need of the hour is make noise about it.