Success in recycling scheme trials
Image: l1gend / stock.adobe.com
Following on from last week’s Olympics blog, Coca-Cola has has said that its trial at the Games of a closed-loop recycling scheme is a “valuable test” ahead of the long-awaited UK implementation of a DRS.
The drinks bottles collected by Coca-Cola at the Paris 2024 Olympics will be recycled and then reused during the Paralympic Games, it said.
Coca-Cola has said it supports trialling various systems ahead of the implementation of the UK model, noting the success of Ireland’s DRS, which was launched on 1 February this year and has thus far collected over 400 million beverage containers.
At the UEFA Euros (football) in July, which Coca-Cola also sponsored, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) managed a cup deposit system whereby spectators were asked to pay €2 for their cup, which was refunded when returned. The cups remained in circulation in stadiums throughout the tournament.
The UK’s Labour government recently confirmed the continuation of plans to introduce a DRS in the UK before October 2027.
While many have shown support for the DRS in general, the delay has been frustrating thus far, and others have vocalised that it’s just the first step in solving the UK’s waste problem. “A deposit scheme isn’t enough by itself…” said Matt Gawn, market intelligence officer at ISB Global. “But it’s a positive statement of intent that shows the government wants to reduce the volume of waste the country sends to landfill and conserve the environment. Hopefully, this decision leads to other parts of the 2021 Environment Act being enacted – such as Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for brands and manufacturers, an end to UK waste exports overseas, and meaningful action to cut plastic pollution as well.”
While Coca-Cola’s waste responsibility has come into question frequently over the years, there is no denying that ongoing recycling scheme trials by global brands such as this one will have a positive effect on research for future deposit return schemes.
- Alex Rivers (she/her), CanTech International editor
Keep in touch via email: [email protected] Twitter: @CanTechIntl or LinkedIn: CanTech International magazine
