COCA-COLA “GIVES BACK LIFE” TO PET BOTTLES DURING THE SRI LANKA-SOUTH AFRICA CRICKET SERIES

Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka Ltd. (CCBSL) launched its ‘Give Back Life’ partnership with Sri Lanka Cricket during the South Africa- Sri Lanka cricket series held from 12th July to 14th August 2018 across Galle, Colombo, Dambulla, and Kandy. Committed to making strides in achieving high volumes of PET collection and recycling in Sri Lanka, the Company launched its custom PET plastic collection bins at the respective venues during the series. The ‘Give Back Life’ campaign educates every person to “recycle your PET bottle to give it new life” thereby maximising the use of PET plastic bottles as a recyclable material. Coca-Cola staff on the ground at each of the stadiums wore “Give Back Life” t-shirts overseeing the collection and spreading the message to all the gathered spectators to make sure they responsibly dispose and recycle their PET plastic bottles. This is yet another initiative by Coca-Cola to ensure any PET plastic bottle is recovered and recycled, supporting waste management schemes and preventing it unnecessarily journeying to landfills.

Jerome Jayaratne – Chief Operating Officer, Sri Lanka Cricket noted, “The Sri Lanka-South Africa tournament was a keenly contested one and attracted large crowds to the stadiums. We are pleased to have Coca-Cola support and encourage the sport of cricket in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, Sri Lanka Cricket is pleased to be associated with CCBSL’s ‘Give Back to Life’ PET recycling campaign, which was launched during the cricket tournament. We believe this campaign is getting the attention it deserves and it was heartening to see the cricket fans at the Pallekelle stadium choosing to stay back and clean-up, disposing of their waste in a responsible manner. This is a great message for all cricket fans and we hope more take up the cause.”

Commenting on engaging with Sri Lanka Cricket on this far-reaching campaign of PET collection and recycling, Mayank Arora – Managing Director, CCBSL, said, “Partnerships like this with Sri Lanka Cricket, showcase the many opportunities to be maximised in  providing local solutions to waste management and recycling.  CCBSL is committed to PET collection and recycling. We aim with this initiative to create awareness, that if disposed responsibly, PET plastic is valuable and can be recycled benefitting people’s livelihoods. We strive towards an effective, impactful, waste management solution for PET plastic.”

CCBSL will continue to build on its partnerships, leveraging them to provide the best PET recovery solutions in line with its unique circumstances and requirement; whether it be during the Kataragama Festival or a cricket tournament like the recently concluded Sri Lanka-South Africa series. CCBSL continues to work with many such partners, including Local Government Authorities, industries, businesses, NGOs and civil society groups, to build more effective collection and recycling systems. The ‘Give Back Life’ campaign for PET collection and recycling also drives community mobilisation through its multi-stakeholder, volunteer clean-ups and collection programmes. CCBSL will work with a host of partners in the coming years to deliver Coca-Cola’s ‘World Without Waste’ packaging vision, which includes collecting and recycling a bottle for every 1 it sells by 2030.”