Coca-Cola launches PET plastic bottle collection program in Papua New Guinea
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NG’s capital city Port Moresby is looking for sustainable ways to combat plastic pollution and thanks to the efforts of Coca-Cola PNG, this is now becoming a reality.
Port Moresby residents can now return their empty PET plastic beverage bottles in exchange for cash, as the result of a partnership between Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PNG (CCEP PNG), Coca-Cola Papua New Guinea and Branis Recycling. CCEP PNG Commercial Director, Tim Solly, said: “As a beverage manufacturer in PNG, we believe it is our responsibility to have a longterm commitment to the sustainability of our packaging. Packaging waste is undoubtedly a major challenge, and it’s also a solvable one if we take action. Our plastic bottles have an ongoing intrinsic value, and we need to treat them this way.” “We have partnered with Branis Recycling to collect PET plastic beverage bottles of any brand, to prevent them going into landfill, waterways, or the environment. Members of the public are paid an incentive of one kina per kilogramme. The collected beverage bottles are pre-processed, using a shredder, and then sent offshore for further recycling due to the absence of a PET resin recycling facility in the country,” he said. Beginning as a pilot in August 2022, 40 tonnes of PET plastic beverage bottles have already been collected and shipped offshore for recycling as part of the program. Consumers can bring their empty PET plastic beverage bottles, of any brand, to Branis collections centres at Ahui Street, Gordons; Spondias Street, Hohola; Gerehu Yard, Stage 6; and they will be paid in cash for the return of the bottles. There is no need to remove caps or labels from the beverage bottle. No washing is also necessary, unless they have been used to store oil, detergent or another non-beverage substance. To help increase the capacity of beverage bottles that can be recycled, Coca-Cola PNG has also purchased two PET shredders which will pre-process the material and turn the PET beverage bottles into flake, making it easier and more cost effective to ship the material offshore. Up until now, PET plastic beverage bottles have been baled before being shipped. One of the shredders, the first to be operational in the country under the agreement, is now situated at Branis’s site in Port Moresby and has
begun flaking PET plastic beverage bottles. “If we can turn the bottles into plastic flake before they are exported, it means more bottles can be recycled because it significantly reduces the costs of shipping,” said Mr Solly. He said CCEP PNG and Coca-Cola PNG aim to expand PET collection across the country, with plans for collection to begin next in Lae. The second shredder will be based at Branis’s site there. “The ability to recycle PET plastic beverage bottles is only one piece of the puzzle. Education and awareness of how to recycle is critical. That’s why we’ll soon begin using the well-recognised Coca-Cola brand to encourage recycling behaviour in Papua New Guinea,” Mr Solly said. Russell Mahoney, Vice President of Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability for Coca-Cola ASEAN & South Pacific, said the company is very proud to be launching PET collection in PNG in partnership with CCEP PNG and Branis Recycling. “Like most people, we don’t want to see our bottles end up as litter. We are committed to doing more and being part of the solution. Our ultimate goal is to help collect and recycle the equivalent of one bottle for every bottle we bring to the market by 2030. “However, we can’t achieve our goals alone. Addressing plastic waste and recycling challenges requires collaboration between industry, the public sector and civil society and we look forward to working with these groups in Papua New Guinea to significantly increase the amount of PET plastic beverage bottles collected,” Mr Mahoney said. The collection of PET plastic beverage bottles is one of several sustainability initiatives currently being undertaken by the Coca-Cola system in PNG. In 2020 CCEP PNG operated a can collection project in Kokopo, East New Britain Province, by placing collection bins in local markets, retail outlets and hotels and have created Coke bottle-shaped PET plastic beverage bottle recycling bins for events, making it easy for people to recycle their empty bottles when they are out and about. In addition, CCEP’s sustainability targets include goals on decarbonising the business, sustainable sourcing of ingredients, water security, building a resilient, low carbon supply chain and championing inclusion.
PET Granulators
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oca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP PNG) has a proud history as a local bottler, with a focus on beverage products, pushing boundaries, blazing trails and creating possibilities, for more than 100 years.
In Papua New Guinea (PNG) life began in 1904, as British Tobacco Company Limited, before diversifying into printing and ultimately packaging, moving offshore into the Australian food and beverage industry. But it was in 1941, during the Second World War that thousands of Australians had been introduced to a great new drink by American troops. Of course, that drink was Coca-Cola and by 1965, the brand was a household name. In 1969, a locally owned company, Pacific Industries, was granted the bottling license to produce Coca-Cola products in the New Guinea Islands region, an operation they would hold until 2009. Coca-Cola’s entry into Southeast Asia followed soon after with the formation, in 1991, of town strategic joint ventures in Indonesia, and the acquisition of the two major Coca-Cola bottling operations in PNG. Over the next decade CCEP would further consolidate this position in Indonesia, expanding our operations in Australia, Fiji and New Zealand. As the 90s came to a close, the organisation was divided into two entities, demerging our European interests and creating a new listed European bottler, Coca-Cola Beverages Plc. In 2021, Coca-Cola Amatil became part of Coca-Cola Europacific
Partners (CCEP). In PNG, the heart of our operations is in Lae, Morobe province, where our head office is located. Over the last two years, CCEP has invested AUD$12.4 million into expanding our operations. To meet consumer demand, the multimillion-kina investment the construction of the new head office, the mega warehouse, a new canning line, a water treatment plant and a syrup room. CCEP PNG bottles and sells Coca-Cola, Coke Zero, Sprite, Fanta, BU energy drink Nature’s Own water, Minute Maid Juice and the Schweppes brand. With a workforce of more than 500 employees, CCEP PNG has two production plants in Lae and Port Moresby and offices in Mt. Hagen in the Highlands region and in Kokopo in the New Guinea Islands region. CCEP’s success and future is built on great people, great service and great beverages and operating in a sustainable environment. Globally, CCEP is the world’s largest Coca-Cola bottler with 33,000 employees and a footprint covering more than 25 countries.
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