Thooimai Mission Unveils ‘Makka Nee Makka’ Campaign to Push Waste Segregation Across Tamil Nadu
CE DESK 
Thooimai Mission – Clean Tamil Nadu Corporation Limited (CTCL), the Government of Tamil Nadu’s flagship waste management initiative, has launched a statewide awareness campaign titled “Makka Nee Makka” to drive household adoption of source segregation. Developed in partnership with Chennai-based creative studio Studio Kirukal, the campaign centers on a television commercial that uses linguistic wordplay to challenge careless waste disposal habits across the state.
The campaign’s title plays on two Tamil words: “Makka” (people) and “Makku” (a careless act), posing the provocative question: “Are you being careless?” This rhetorical device anchors the TVC’s narrative, which depicts everyday scenarios of mixed-bin disposal and indiscriminate throwing behaviors the campaign seeks to eliminate as Tamil Nadu enforces new waste management regulations.
The creative execution was built entirely by Studio Kirukal, which developed the campaign concept, treatment, script, and lyrics. Music production was handled by OFRO, with the TVC featuring a young protagonist delivering the message in a direct, relatable manner. The brief demanded that waste segregation feel urgent, local, and impossible to ignore moving beyond dry regulatory messaging to emotional resonance with Tamil households.
The campaign arrives as the Solid Waste Management Rules 2026, notified on January 27 and effective from April 1, mandate four-stream segregation at source across every home in Tamil Nadu. The rules require households to separate waste into wet (biodegradable), dry (recyclable), sanitary, and special-care or hazardous categories, with bulk waste generators additionally required to process biodegradable waste on-site through composting, biomethanation, or other approved decentralized methods.
Ganga Dileep C, representing Thooimai Mission, and Hari Haran from Studio Kirukal oversaw the campaign’s rollout, which spans television, digital platforms, and community outreach. The hashtag #MakkaNeePakka (People, now be firm/serious) reinforces the call to action, positioning waste segregation as both a civic duty and a collective responsibility for achieving Tamil Nadu’s zero-waste and circular economy goals.
