Coca-Cola Beverages, CEA in partnership for PET collection activation drive

Friday, 10 June 2011 00:06 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The National Post Consumer Plastic Waste Management Project of the Central Environmental Authority and Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka Limited concluded a successful activation drive to clean up the Raddolugama Housing Scheme of PET Plastic waste to mark World Environment Day 2011.

This is part of the pilot project in the Gampaha District with the aim of developing a sustainable collection mechanism for PET recycling. The undertaking will be in partnership with the CEA and collection partners. The team will also join hands to establish three PET collection centres in the district.

This clean-up programme heralded the beginning of an island-wide campaign to educate people on the hazards of PET plastics and will also collect and recycle PET plastic.

The World Environment Day activation was held with the support of the residents of the Housing Scheme and the drive took place on 5 June and successfully collected over 250 kg of PET plastic from over 2,000 homes in the scheme.

The collection team from Coca-Cola pre-announced the collection drive over the week leading up to World Environment Day and also educated residents of the hazards concerning PET waste. The activation saw people of all walks of life, ages and social strata coming together to clean up their community.

The day’s activities also included a competition for the children on the scheme who were rewarded with Coke branded merchandise for their part in the collection drive. The activation drive at the Raddolugama Housing Scheme is one of many such activations being carried out by the company and is only the start of many more events planned over the coming months. Coca-Cola Sri Lanka launched the ‘Give Back Life’ project to create awareness and inculcate the habit of PET recycling. Up to date the project has collected and recycled over 900 tonnes of PET plastic waste with programmes that give job opportunities to people and involve communities and schools alike.