Coca-Cola has been installing ‘reverse’ vending machines worldwide to encourage people to recycle their plastic bottles. Any brand’s bottles can be deposited, not just Coca-Cola drinks. Different locations offer their own unique incentives—from vouchers for in-house products or services to Coca-Cola committing a sum per bottle returned as a donation for a good cause. However, regardless of the reward, the purpose of these machines is to show everyone how easy it is to recycle so that hopefully, they’ll continue the practice with everything else they consume.
One of the latest projects involving these machines is at St. Pete University in Tampa, Florida. The school is striving to enhance its sustainability efforts across campuses. As part of this, it’s installing six Coca-Cola recycling machines for aluminum cans and plastic bottles. What’s more, they’re using them to collect money to support Feed-A-Bull Food Pantry.
So, not only do the machines work to fulfill Coca-Cola’s “World Without Waste” initiative of collecting and recycling every can or bottle it sells worldwide by 2030 and St. Pete’s sustainability efforts, but it also contributes to helping people in need. According to Auxiliary Services Director Nancy Santiago, Coca-Cola will donate 5 cents to the pantry for each can or bottle received (capped at $5,000 per year).
Santiago said:
Whether it’s an aluminum can or plastic bottle, and it’s empty, it’ll accept it, and anything that gets accepted into the machine will get the 5 cents. It’ll spit out anything that does not meet the requirement, so if you’ve tried to put in a glass bottle, it’ll reject it or something else that doesn’t fit the criteria for it to be recycled. All it requires is to have an empty product. It doesn’t have to be cleaned out; it just has to be empty for the machine to be able to go ahead and recycle it.
Meanwhile, in Thailand, Coca-Cola is sponsoring a campaign to inspire and drive recyclable waste separation behavior called the ‘Coke Recycle Me with Trash Lucky’ program, which is a collaboration with Indorama Ventures. Consumers have the opportunity to return empty bottles and cans to Lucky drop points at 7-11’s nationwide or post them via parcel delivery for a chance to win prizes through lucky draws.
Nuntivat Thamhatai, Public Affairs, Coca-Cola (Thailand) Ltd.’s Communications and Sustainability Director, said:
Our empty bottles have value and should not become waste which is why we’re very keen to support proper management and recycling at source. So, in addition to putting a visible ‘Recycle Me’ message on all our packaging to help increase awareness and urge consumers to separate waste and recycle, we’re also working with partners to enable and inspire long-term behaviors. That’s why we’re excited to be working with Trash Lucky, an experienced startup that has the same shared values, under the ‘Coke Recycle Me with Trash Lucky’ campaign.
While the ‘Coke Recycle Me with Trash Lucky’ campaign may look like a regular lucky draw activity, this is not for promotional or commercial purposes as we are not limiting the campaign to only our packaging. Instead, we hope that this activity will motivate some consumers to start separating waste in their daily life once they realize it’s not that difficult or complicated. Even when the campaign ends, participants will still be able to deliver packaging and other recycled materials to many of today’s stores and recycling points. The behavioral data collected by Trash Lucky will also be brought to the table to study, analyze and plan in order to further drive waste separation behavior in the future.
By design, all Coca-Cola packaging is recyclable in Thailand. The challenge rests in getting everyone to dispose of the bottles accordingly for collection and recycling. The purpose of programs like this is to highlight how beverage bottles, and all other types of packaging, can have another life when recycled, such as clothing and even medical-grade equipment like Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), which is where Indorama Ventures steps in.
Nattapak Atichartakarn, Trash Lucky Ltd.’s co-founder and CEO, added:
Trash Lucky’s mission is to raise people’s awareness to recycle as much as possible through incentives, ultimately aiming to reduce waste. Under this collaboration, in addition to creating activities for consumers to participate in and win prizes, Coca-Cola and Trash Lucky will join hands to educate the public about waste types, waste separation methods, and the benefits of waste recycling and its environmental impact. Furthermore, a pre-and post-campaign study with participants to measure and drive sustainable waste separation behavioral change will be conducted with a shared goal between the two companies of transforming just another lucky draw activity into everyday behavior.
Indorama Ventures will take the collected plastic PET bottles and recycle them into fibers to make PPE equipment for healthcare workers in hospitals dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr. Yash Lohia, Indorama Ventures’ Chief Sustainability Officer, said:
As part of our commitment to our community, we work to help those around us who may be affected by COVID-19. A year ago, we successfully developed yarns made from recycled PET beverage bottles that are suitable for PPE suits. Our goal is to protect the protectors – frontline medical personnel – in a sustainable way. Our 100% recycled PET yarn is a hygienic and sustainable material. In addition, our collaboration with Coca-Cola and Trash Lucky will create more awareness of proper waste management and help create a truly circular economy.
‘Coke Recycle Me with Trash Lucky’ may just be a three-month campaign running now until December 2021, but its message carries on into the future and across borders. But, if you’re in Thailand, you can register through the LINE Official Account: @trashlucky (until November 30, 2021) and start getting points for collecting recyclable aluminum, plastic, paper, glass, or metal waste from any brand, then sending it to the specified address! Doing so will earn you the chance to win a car, mobile phone, gold, vouchers, and souvenirs! Winners will be announced monthly (on the 15th and 20th) via the Facebook page. Good Luck!
