Bengaluru: BBC Media Action has launched ‘Recycle Resolutions’, a New Year campaign under its ongoing Invaluables initiative, urging Bengalureans to renew simple, proven habits that improve waste recyclability and uphold the dignity and safety of waste pickers. By reframing familiar practices as New Year resolutions, the campaign aims to drive sustained behaviour change beyond the festive season.
Rather than encouraging new pledges, Recycle Resolutions brings together three everyday habits that have already demonstrated impact—Wash the Dabba, Got Old Clothes?, and Mark It Red—positioning them as collective commitments for 2026. The campaign highlights how small, consistent actions at home directly influence the working conditions of informal waste pickers, also referred to as Invaluable Recyclers.
The approach builds on measurable success from earlier Invaluables campaigns. Impact evaluation research showed that Wash the Dabba, which encourages washing takeaway containers before disposal, was adopted by 60% of those exposed to the campaign, with Dry Waste Collection Centres (DWCCs) reporting visibly cleaner containers. The Got Old Clothes? initiative helped collect 1.8 tonnes of garments across 16 DWCCs in a single month—nearly double the usual volume—by encouraging residents to wash and responsibly hand over old clothes. Meanwhile, Mark It Red, which promotes wrapping and marking sanitary and diaper waste with a red “X”, saw 41% of the exposed audience begin following the practice, improving safety for waste handlers.
Invaluables is an initiative of BBC Media Action under Saamuhika Shakti, a collective impact effort that brings together 12 partners to enable waste pickers to lead secure and dignified lives with greater agency. The latest phase of the campaign reinforces the importance of renewing these effective habits to create long-term community impact.
The campaign has received strong backing from prominent Bengalureans and digital creators. Supporters amplifying the message include comedian @aiyyoshraddha, musician Vasu Dixit, actor Bhoomi Shetty, plogging champion @PlogRaja, and influencers such as Shiva Rai, Pinky Preet, and Hema Gayathri, among others.
Musician Vasu Dixit, a long-term supporter of #Invaluables, said, “Real change doesn’t need grand gestures, it’s in the small, daily acts. When we handle our waste responsibly, we make the work of our waste pickers safer and more dignified. ‘Recycle Resolutions’ is a reminder that these simple habits already work and that’s reason enough to keep them going.”
Comedian Aiyyo Shraddha, who has been associated with the campaign since 2021, added, “Most resolutions fizzle out by February. But these? They’re simple. Wash your dabba, send old clothes to dry waste centres, and help make waste pickers’ jobs safer and dignified. ‘Recycle Resolutions’ is a kind of promise to our environmental stewards. We must actually keep these promises!”
Speaking about the launch, Soma Katiyar, Executive Creative Director, India, BBC Media Action, said, “The New Year gives us a powerful behavioural nudge to ‘recycle’ these actions as resolutions—so they don’t fade as campaign noise but embed as everyday practice. Our creative insight was clear: people don’t need brand-new habits; just familiar ones amplified at the right cultural moment. That’s where real behaviour change happens—through simple, dignifying routines that quietly make the city safer for our Invaluable Recyclers.”
Highlighting the broader intent, Varinder Kaur Gambhir, Country Director, India, BBC Media Action, said, “Invaluables has always been about helping citizens see the people behind our waste system and act with care. This final phase brings together everything we have learned so far, backed by evidence and impact, and invites Bengalureans to carry these behaviours forward as a shared responsibility towards our waste pickers.”
Recycle Resolutions has been rolled out across outdoor platforms, including select bus shelters, Namma Metro, and prominent city locations to reach daily commuters. The campaign will also be extended to digital platforms and apartment communities across Bengaluru in the coming weeks.
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