Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) Australia is strengthening its commitment to a circular economy for beverage containers with the rollout of consumer-facing Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs) at production sites across the country.
The first RVM was officially opened earlier today in partnership with Return-It, the east zone network operator for Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme (CDS VIC), at CCEP’s Moorabbin production site. The initiative aims to make recycling more visible and accessible for employees and local communities, while reinforcing CCEP’s long-standing support for container deposit schemes across Australia.
“Coca-Cola has been proudly made in Moorabbin for more than 65 years,” said Orlando Rodriguez, managing director – Australia at CCEP. “Now, with the installation of this Reverse Vending Machine, our consumers can return their containers for recycling right where their favourite drinks are produced.”
“Container deposit schemes provide valuable opportunities for Australians to recycle beverage containers. With schemes now established and operating in every state and territory, our focus is on working together with government, industry and the community, to supercharge recycling rates.
“Scaling the accessibility of collection points is critical to achieving this. At CCEP, we want to help make recycling containers more convenient – and so we’re using our own sites to provide local communities with easy-to-access collection points.”
CCEP has played a key role in co-founding and expanding container deposit schemes across Australia for nearly 50 years, including Victoria’s, which celebrates its second anniversary this month and has collected more than 2 billion containers since launch.
“Our purpose at Return-It is to make recycling worth it – that means it must be easy, rewarding, and accessible,” said Marc Churchin, CEO at Return-It.
“To do this, it’s essential that beverage manufacturers like Coca-Cola Europacific Partners not only share this same vision but act on it – and that’s exactly what we’re seeing here today.
“CCEP is creating more opportunities for the community to recycle by transforming its own sites into public collection points, and we’re proud to partner with them to make this a reality.”
In addition to the collection point in Moorabbin, CCEP plans to install RVMs at other production sites nationally. Rodriguez said the company’s initiative reflects its support for Australia’s container deposit schemes.
Together with Pact Group, Cleanaway, and Asahi Beverages, CCEP is part of the Circular Plastics Australia (PET) joint venture, which has established two PET recycling facilities in Altona North, Victoria, and Albury, New South Wales. The sites can process the equivalent of up to 2 billion 600ml PET bottles annually (excluding caps and labels).