Coca-Cola Asks Government to Simplify Recycling Bin Schemes to End Confusion
04 October 2012 - Following from their experience during the Olympics, Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) is highlighting to the Government that clearer communications and standardised collection points are needed to help "confused" UK consumers understand the wide variety of recycling systems available across the country.
The drinks giant delivered a record number of recycled bottles during the Games, and yesterday they launched a research project with the University of Exeter to determine how best to boost recycling rates in Britain and France by studying consumer behaviour patterns.
Despite growing awareness of the benefits of recycling amongst the public, recovery rates for plastic bottles in the UK and France fall below most other European countries at under 50%.
Coca-Cola is keen to use its experiences at the Games to boost plastic recycling rates in Britain, particularly since they opened a £15m plastics recycling plant in Lincolnshire earlier this year (in partnership with ECO Plastics), and yesterday they also announced plans for a similar €9m project in France with recycler APPE.
The company says however that they would welcome a standardised approach to consumer recycling to aid with these efforts, since the Olympics revealed that even in the boroughs of London there are a variety of different bin schemes which is making the public less enthusiastic about recycling.