Mr. Asoka Wickremesinghe - Chairman, Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka Ltd addresses the gathering
Demonstrating its commitment to ‘Give Back Life’ to PET plastic bottles, Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka Ltd. along with the Road Development Authority (RDA) and Eco-Spindles Pvt Ltd. ( part of BPPL Group) recently launched an initiative to place Collection Bins and Educational Signage at strategic exit points along the Colombo - Katunayake Expressway for the convenience of motorists to dispose PET plastic bottles for recycling, without littering public spaces. 22 ‘Give Back Life’ collection bins for PET plastic products were placed by Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola has custom-made these ‘Give Back Life’ PET plastic recycling bins especially for the use of expressway passengers and plans to follow this up with the distribution of educational material about recycling to the public in partnership with the RDA. Present at the official launch were Mr. Asoka Wickremesinghe- Chairman, Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka Ltd., Mr. SamanOpanayake - Director, Expressway Operation & Maintenance Division, Road Development Authority and Dr. Anush Amarasinghe - Managing Director, BPPL Holdings PLC.
Coca-Cola is committed to achieving high volumes of PET recycling in Sri Lanka by focusing on PET recovery and recycling as part of its commitment towards environmental protection and societal well-being. The beverage company is promoting the recycling habit amongst the public by providing easily accessible ‘Give Back Life’ collection bins as an effective, permanent solution. The initiative is part of The Coca-Cola Company’s commitment towards help creating a “World Without Waste”. World Without Waste is the Coca-Cola Company’s global goal to help collect and recycle the equivalent of 100% of its packaging by 2030. This goal is the centrepiece of the company’s new packaging vision in Sri Lanka as well. Through this the Coca-Cola system in Sri Lanka intends not only to make packaging 100% recyclable but also collect and recycle the equivalent of 100% of its packaging in the country and work towards a cleaner and better environment. All the PET bottles will be collected and recycled by Eco-Spindles (Pvt) Ltd. to produce yarn, brushes, etc.
Stake holders from Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka Ltd., Road Development Authority (RDA) and Eco-Spindles Pvt Ltd
Commenting on the initiative, Eng. A.D.K. Mannapperuma - Deputy Director, Expressway Operation & Maintenance (EOM & M) Division, Road Development Authority said, “This collaboration between the RDA, CCBSL and BPPL reflects the importance of public-private partnerships to help improve public infrastructure and promote a change in public habits to enhance waste management. This ‘Give Back Life’ initiative is also aligned to RDA’s vision to enhance the environment by launching this and its recent national tree planting programme, which are creating a new civic paradigm for people to follow.”
Mannaperuma added further, “CCBSL’s ‘Give Back Life’ PET plastic recycling initiative is also enhancing the RDA’s vision for a Green Expressway that has been beautified with plants and foliage. Now, people have the opportunity to dispose PET plastic waste in the custom designed bins and feel proud that they are making a valuable contribution towards maintaining an environmentally-friendly expressway by not littering.”
Furthermore, Dr. Anush Amarasinghe, CEO of BPPL Group said, “I commend this initiative by the Road Development Authority, Coca-Cola and its partners because the importance of recycling needs to conveyed strongly across our nation. Not only does it keep our public spaces clean, but it also stimulates business. For BPPL, one of whose businesses is recycling, PET plastic forms the raw material for manufacturing brushes and yarn. PET plastic can be turned into garments, shoes, brushes and much more.”
Mr. Mayank Arora, Managing Director, Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka Ltd disposes a PET plastic bottle at the Give Back Life collection bin
Expressing his views, Mr. Mayank Arora, Managing Director of Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka Ltd. said, “We are pleased to sustain the momentum of our ‘Give Back Life’ initiative with the support of our partners from both public and private sectors and the public. The launch of Coca-Cola’s ‘Give Back Life’ recycling bins along the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway will ensure a pristine expressway for users and create the right impression for first-time visitors to Sri Lanka. Coca-Cola is proud to engage in such critical partnerships to ensure our recycling initiative reaches critical public threshold and successfully changes consumer habits to support our objective to improve waste management in Sri Lanka. A goal of this magnitude cannot be achieved by Coca-Cola alone; it needs the cooperation and commitment of one and all to come together as one to create a clean and litter-free nation.”
Around the globe, the Coca-Cola Company is working with a host of partners to deliver its “World Without Waste” packaging vision while renewing its focus on the entire lifecycle of packaging used.
