In Rawalpindi, single-use plastic waste has become a daily reality. Everyday purchases now carry a hidden cost not only to the environment, but to household budgets as well. Bottled products are bought, used once, and discarded, while rising inflation means families often pay more for plastic packaging than for the product inside. Much of this waste doesn’t disappear for a longer period, if not ever; it accumulates in streets and drains, clogging the city’s waterways, and leaking into surrounding water bodies, turning a consumption problem into a growing environmental crisis.
Having grown up surrounded by this reality of plastic waste, Kamil carried a quiet dream of creating change in the very community that raised him.That dream found a pathway through Davaam Life, a PLEASE-supported enterprise working to reduce plastic pollution by transforming the way people access everyday products. With support from Davaam, Kamil opened Davaam-e-Aam—a small refill shop rooted in a big idea: that people shouldn’t have to choose between affordability and sustainability.
The Plastic Free Rivers and Seas for South Asia (PLEASE) project, implemented by the South Asia Cooperative Environment Programme (SACEP), funded by the World Bank, and supported by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), supports locally driven solutions to plastic pollution through two targeted grant mechanisms: Regional Block Grants (RBGs) and Innovation Grants (IGs). With a grant of $120,000, Innovation Grants support early-stage, innovative ideas that test new approaches to plastic reduction, circular economy solutions, and community engagement.
In Pakistan, PLEASE, through Davaam, is building a network of community-based refill stations that offer affordable, plastic-free alternatives to single-use packaging. By installing refill machines in local neighbourhoods and supporting entrepreneurs like Kamil to run them as sustainable micro-businesses, Davaam is turning climate action into something practical, accessible, and locally owned.
Davaam-e-Aam soon became a community space where climate action met everyday life. Through refill machines that dispense essential products at lower prices, Kamil created a simple alternative to single-use plastics; bring a container, refill what you need, and go home without waste.
The change has been visible. Where customers once bought new plastic bottles from nearby stores, they now return with the same containers, refilling instead of throwing away. Throughout Davaam’s efforts under the PLEASE project, Kamil’s refill center has avoided an estimated 900 bottles integrating into plastic waste, and have served close to a thousand houses. On average, over a hundred customers benefit from the Davaam-e-aam refill center. Each refill replaces a single-use package, quietly reshaping daily habits and reducing waste across the community.
Today, Davaam-e-Aam stands as proof that meaningful climate action doesn’t always start with large systems, but with one person, one idea, and one community choosing to do things differently. Through Kamil’s vision and Davaam’s support, everyday choices in Rawalpindi are becoming part of a bigger shift toward cleaner, fairer, and more sustainable living.
