Steel Bottle Ambassador Campaign
A small gift. A daily habit. A visible choice.
Every day, thousands of rickshaw drivers spend long hours on the road, carrying passengers across the city.
We often find them using a plastic bottle; many times it is an old single-use plastic bottle that they keep using again and again.
Why reconsider plastic bottles?
Plastic bottles can release chemicals and microplastics into the water they contain. Some chemicals used in plastics are known carcinogens or endocrine-disrupting chemicals, while the potential health effects of long-term exposure to microplastics are still being studied. Leaching and particle release can increase with factors such as heat, sunlight, aging, abrasion and repeated use.
A simple steel bottle can prevent health hazards and environmental hazards — and make a small, everyday choice visible to hundreds of passengers.
Mission City Chakra’s Steel Bottle Ambassador Campaign encourages citizens to gift a reusable steel bottle to a rickshaw driver and help make the switch from single-use plastic more visible in our city.
Why a steel bottle?
A bottle is something we use every day.
When the material of that everyday object changes from disposable plastic to a durable, reusable alternative, we can reduce the demand for single-use plastic bottles and the waste associated with them.
Steel bottles are:
- durable and reusable
- suitable for everyday use
- easy to carry and refill
- a practical alternative to repeatedly buying packaged water in plastic bottles
But this campaign is about more than the bottle.
It is about making a better material choice visible.
The Steel Bottle Ambassador
A rickshaw driver who receives a steel bottle becomes a Steel Bottle Ambassador.
Not because he has to preach about plastic.
Simply because every passenger who sees the bottle and the message on the back of the seat gets an opportunity to pause and think:
Could I make this small change too?
The passenger-facing board carries a simple message:
मी माझ्या आरोग्यासाठी आणि पर्यावरणाच्या आरोग्यासाठी स्टीलची बाटली वापरतो.
I use a steel bottle for my health and the health of our environment.
A QR code on the board allows curious passengers to discover the campaign and explore more ways to reduce waste in their own lives.
From Raksha Bandhan to Social Raksha Bandhan
The first pilot of the campaign is being taken up around Raksha Bandhan.
Raksha Bandhan celebrates a relationship of care and protection between siblings.
This campaign extends that idea a little further:
Can we also make a small gesture of care towards the people around us — and towards the environment we all share?
Citizens are invited to gift a one-litre steel bottle, or contribute the cost of one, which can then be given to a rickshaw driver in their neighbourhood.
A simple gift becomes:
A useful object → a daily habit → a visible message → a conversation.
How the campaign works
1. Gift a steel bottle
Citizens can contribute a good-quality, reusable steel bottle or its equivalent cost.
2. Give it to a rickshaw driver
The bottle is gifted to a rickshaw driver who is willing to use it regularly.
3. Display the Ambassador board
A small board is placed on the passenger-facing side of the driver’s backrest.
4. Let the bottle tell the story
Passengers see the bottle, read the message and can scan the QR code to learn more.
5. Take the idea home
The campaign connects passengers to practical waste-reduction solutions they can adopt in their own homes.
Why rickshaw drivers?
A rickshaw is an unusual but powerful place for a sustainability message.
A driver may interact with dozens of passengers every day.
The bottle therefore does something that a poster on a wall cannot:
It travels through the city.
The message travels with it.
One bottle can become a small moving reminder that everyday choices matter.
The first pilot
Raksha Bandhan 2026
The campaign is being piloted with the support of Adv. Sou. Mitali Kuldeep Sawalekar, Corporator, Pune Municipal Corporation, who is appealing to citizens to participate by gifting steel bottles to rickshaw drivers in the area.
The pilot will help us learn:
- How many citizens participate?
- How many rickshaw drivers adopt the bottles?
- Do drivers continue using them?
- How do passengers respond?
- Does the visible message generate curiosity?
- Can the model be replicated in other wards?
Want to become a Steel Bottle Ambassador?
Buy a Steel Bottle
Download and Print the Poster in A4 Size
Gift the steel bottle to the rickshaw driver you see using a plastic bottle
and
Ask them to display the poster on the passenger-side of the backrest
OR
Donate the amount to purchase the bottle and print the poster.
Amount: Rs. 450/- (Rs. 300 for Bottle + Rs. 150 for Poster)
Account Name: ANKUR PRATISHTHAN
Name of Bank: Pune People’s CoOp Bank Ltd.
Account Type: Savings Account
Branch Name: Karvenagar
Account No: 101510001006553
IFSC Code: IBKL0548PPC
Share with us आम्हाला सांगा
Did you participate in this campaign. Share your experience by filling out this simple form
तुम्ही ह्या उपक्रमात सहभागी झाला असाल तर हा छोटासा गूगल फॉर्म भरून आम्हाला तुमचा अनुभव जरूर सांगा.
The bottle is only the beginning
A steel bottle is one small material choice.
There are many more such choices we can make at home — choices that reduce waste before it is created.
Want to find more?
Explore Zero-Waste Solutions for Home
Simple, practical ways to rethink the materials we use every day.
Explore the Zero-Waste Home Guide →
A small campaign. A larger idea.
We don’t always need a big project to create change.
Sometimes, we need to look at something we use every day and ask:
Is there a better material for this?
The Steel Bottle Ambassador Campaign is an attempt to make that question visible — one bottle, one rickshaw and one passenger at a time.
Mission City Chakra
Towards a Zero-Waste Pune
Documenting and enabling practical ideas that help the city move towards circularity.