Coca-Cola Promotes Bottle-Recycling With ‘Reverse Vending Machines’ That Reward

Did you know you can return a soda bottle for it to make a new one?

Some parks in the UK have “reverse vending machines” that encourage visitors to recycle their PET plastic bottles. Installed in 2018 with theme park owner Merlin Entertainments, the 22 machines incentivize visitors with perks for their contributions, which enable the circular production of new plastic bottles.

To further encourage this habit, the vending/recycling machines have had their prizes significantly upgraded so people can win VIP experiences that money cannot buy, according to a press release by Merlin Entertainments.

Customers can apply for rewards ranging from behind-the-scenes access to the Sea Life Trust at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary in Cornwall, to a shark dive at the Bear Grylls Adventure, and even a VIP White Rhino Encounter at the Chessington World of Adventures Resort between July 14 and September 20. Who knew that simply recycling your old Coke bottles could grant you access to parks that no one else has?

The scheme is a collaboration between Thorpe Park; the Legoland Windsor Resort and Legoland Discovery Center Birmingham; the Warwick Castle Resort; Sea Life in London, Brighton, and Blackpool; and Alton Tower Records. 

To locate where the vending machines are located in a park, visitors can use the individual parks app to find them. Those that wish to apply for the competition, they can do so via Merlin Entertainments’ dedicated website. 

Merlin Entertainments has banned retail plastic bags and plastic straws from its Sea Life aquariums. It has stated that in its various UK theme parks, it now operates with zero waste sent to landfills. 

Coca-Cola’s own sustainability goals are aided by the fact that it now uses 100% recyclable PET plastic bottles in more than 25 markets. 

A message on the machines says, “Thank you for recycling. In less than six weeks, your bottle could be back on the shelves.”  As of now, the scheme has recycled over 100,000 bottles since its first reverse vending machine was installed in 2018. 

[via The Drum and Packing News, cover image via Merlin Entertainment]