In line with the UAE Government’s vision towards a greener future, PepsiCo and Talabat have joined forces to launch 'Yalla Return', an innovative recycling initiative in partnership with Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC) and Sobha Hartlands residential communities. The initiate aims to encourage residents to adopt sustainable practices through a gamified approach on the ‘Yalla Return’ mobile application, creating an engaging experience for those choosing to recycle through the Smart Bins.
The programme reflects PepsiCo and Talabat’s shared vision and commitment to encouraging sustainability. This initiative promotes circular economic practices through resource recovery. JVC residents living in Plaza Residence, Fortunato, Binghatti Gate, Hyati Avenue, and Sobha Hartlands Greens residents living in Buildings 5 and 6 can be a part of this innovative initiative.
Speaking about this initiative, Balachandran Jayachandran, Gulf General Manager at PepsiCo, said, “At PepsiCo, we talk about the importance of partnerships to drive change, and we’re putting it into action through initiatives like this one with Yalla Return and Talabat. This partnership brings industry players together to leverage collective strengths – innovation, scale, community links, and global best practices and we are looking forward to seeing the impact this will have in empowering local communities to drive positive environmental action.”
To help drive the change, residents need to download the 'Yalla Return' app, collect their 'Yalla Return' bags from their buildings where the Smart Bins are kept, read the manual and then drop the garbage in dedicated Smart Bins. Residents can view their impact on the mobile app after each recycling trip, such as the weight of waste diverted, landfill space saved, carbon emissions reduced, energy conserved and personalised feedback on the quality of material sorting.
Residents partaking in the initiative earn credits that they can redeem for different rewards on the app, such as Dhs 50 and Dhs 100 vouchers on Talabat app for recycling 25 and 45 bags of 5-star ratings. Other reward options include discounts across other platforms like grocery, lifestyle, and electronics, making every recycling action count.
Simonida Subotic, Vice President at Talabat UAE, commented, “As a tech company, we embrace innovative solutions that utilise technology to create shared value for the community and facilitate the adoption of positive everyday practices. Being in a country such as the UAE, which is spearheading sustainability efforts in the region, enables private companies to play an active role in driving behavioural change. These efforts not only help raise awareness, but also equip the community with last mile recycling initiatives that support circularity and UAE’s Net Zero 2050 targets.”