Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam has stressed the need to work together to truly address the issue of plastic. “The RVM machine is a way of making that connection with the public and encouraging them to recycle. I am particularly happy to see the progress on its plastics collection and recycling program,” he said as he unveiled a first of its kind reverse vending machine (RVM) for plastics at the Jinnah Super Market, Islamabad. The machine makes it convenient and rewarding for people to recycle on the go. Plastic bottles of any brand can used in the machine. The RVM itself is like a vending machine in reverse. Consumers press the start button on a touch screen and the RVM opens up a slot to receive the plastic bottle. Once deposited, the RVM compresses the PET so that it is ready for the next steps of recycling. Earlier this year, PepsiCo announced the country’s largest plastics collection and recycling project under the Prime Minister’s Clean Green Pakistan program. Making steady progress towards this goal the company announced more than doubling its existing targets for plastic collection and recycling. The company will scale up its existing 4750 tons plastics collection program by adding another 5500 tons making a total of 10,250 tons of plastics to be collected and recycled in 2021.