Coca-Cola launches on-the-go recycling bins across Peterborough

Coca-Cola Great Britain and Peterborough City Council are launching on-the-go recycling bins across Peterborough, making it easier for residents and visitors to recycle bottles and cans when they are out and about.

The Peterborough initiative is only the third time Coca-Cola has worked in partnership with a local council to launch recycling bins. It will launch on Thursday 24 June 2010 at 10.30am, outside the Town Hall.

This scheme builds on the successful introduction in the past year of over 65 Recycle Zones in shopping centres, theme parks, transport hubs, universities and at outdoor events, which to date have collected well over 75 tonnes of material for recycling. Around 20 further Zones are planned by the end of 2011.

The new recycle-on-the-go bins will be branded with the Coca-Cola and Peterborough City Council logos plus information designed to inspire people to recycle more often. Coca-Cola has also provided Peterborough City Council’s city services team with branded collection vehicles to help with the collection and maintenance of the bins.

Despite the difficult economic conditions, research indicates that consumers are still concerned about ‘green’ issues, with recycling being the most commonly practised ‘green’ lifestyle behaviour. The launch of the new bins is just one Coca-Cola initiative to make it as easy as possible for consumers to reduce their impact on the environment - by recycling an empty can, you can cut its carbon footprint by up to 40 per cent.

The move means that Coca-Cola will be increasing the supply of local recyclate and be more able to increase the amount of recycled content in its bottles and cans. The business already uses around 50 per cent recycled content in its aluminium cans and it has set industry-leading standards by reducing the thickness of each can to the equivalent of a single human hair.
The company’s glass bottles contain around 40 per cent recycled glass and it aims to use at least 25 per cent recycled material in all plastic (PET) bottles by the end of 2012.

Sanjay Guha, president of Coca-Cola Great Britain, said: “We’re committed to making a positive impact on the environment so we’re delighted to be launching our recycle on-the-go bins across Peterborough.

“Increasing recycling levels is one of the most effective steps we can take to bring us closer to our goal of operating sustainably. Recycle on-the-go bins are a great way of helping our consumers support our aim to put sustainability at the heart of everything we do - without sustainable, healthy communities we won’t have a sustainable business.”

Councillor Samantha Dalton, the city council's cabinet member for environment capital, said: "This fantastic initiative matches our commitment to achieve sustainable growth. It contributes to our growing reputation as the UK’s environment capital because, by working with Coca-Cola, we can make it easy for people to recycle valuable materials as they move around the city.”

The first city centre Recycle Zone, launched September 2009 in Southampton, has 15 liveried double stainless steel bins in the city centre and a further 35 dual recycling and litter bins located in parks and other central locations. In March this year Coca-Cola partnered with Westminster City Council to install 260 new dual recycling and litter bins in high profile locations across London, including Oxford Street, Piccadilly and Shaftsbury Avenue which are collecting an estimated four tonnes of recycled materials a day.

Source: Original Release