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South Africans nationwide are joining the waste free movement to clean up our beaches and rivers this September. Coca-Cola’s bottling partners are leading over 14 clean ups across the country reaching as far as Mamelodi and Soweto to Durban and Muizenberg. This is in partnership with Plastics SA for Clean-up and Recycle Week which runs from 10-15 September and coincides with International Coastal Cleanup Day on September 15th 2018.

Earlier this year, the Coca-Cola Company announced an ambitious goal to help collect and recycle the equivalent of every bottle and can it sells globally by 2030 through its World Without Waste strategy. This would include making packaging 100% recyclable globally by 2020. In South Africa, the company is working to support healthy, debris-free environments and oceans through organisations such as PETCO (PET Recycling Company), to increase collection and recycling of packaging in the most risk-prone areas for marine debris.

Coastal Clean-ups are taking place in Kwa-Zulu Natal in Port Shepstone, Durban and Richard’s Bay as well as in the Eastern Cape in Port Elizabeth and East London. Inland clean-ups include Grabouw, Soweto, Mamelodi, and Soshanguve. Coca-Cola Penninsula Beverages will coordinate the Muizenberg beach clean-up on 16 September.

Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa is partnering with a number of NGOs, local municipalities, regional government departments, as well as the South African Police Services in areas to mobilise communities to take part in the clean-up. CCBSA also includes schools that are involved in the Schools Recycling Programme to join in the initiative.

The International Coastal Cleanup on 15 September was started over 30 years ago by Ocean Conservancy and has since mobilised millions of people to participate in the world's largest volunteer effort to help clean our oceans and waterways. Since 1995, The Coca-Cola Company has sponsored the International Coastal Cleanup and Ocean Conservancy through educational outreach, community engagement, research, industry collaborations, marketing and more. Last year, Plastics SA co-ordinated over 400 clean ups nationwide during Clean-up and Recycle Week with over 16000 volunteers.

Last year, the South African plastic industry recycled a record 2.15 billion PET plastic bottles. The country has seen an increase in PET recycling from single digits in 2000 to 65% in 2017, close to European rates and rates that exceed United States recycling by more than 20%. This has created 64 000 income-generating opportunities for waste pickers, collectors and recyclers. The 93 235 tonnes of collected PET also saved 578 000m3 of landfill space and 139 000 tonnes of carbon.

More than 10 years ago, Coca-Cola South Africa funded and co-created the PET Recycling Company (PETCO). PETCO is an industry body that promotes and regulates the recycling of PET material after initial use, and has partnered with recyclers to create new products made from disposed PET material. As part of PETCO’s efforts to support Clean-Up and Recycle Week SA 2018 in partnership with Plastics SA the organisation will be cleaning up Robben Island on Friday 14 September 2018.

This year, Coca-Cola’s partnership with Global Citizen will enable recycling champions to win tickets to the Global Citizen Festival Mandela 100, being held in South Africa this year on 2 December 2018, where the likes of Beyonce, Jay-Z, Cassper Nyovest and many more will be performing.

Anyone aged 18 and above who registers and attends the clean up activities facilitated by Coca-Cola from 14 September 2018, stands a chance to win one of 350 tickets to the Festival (T&Cs apply). For more information, follow us on Facebook: @CocaColaAfrica
 

Isuued by Coca Cola Africa