Maputo – A plastic PET (polyethylene phthalate) recycling project by Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) in Mozambique has increased the amount of PET collected for recycling by 10 tons a day and created 590 direct employment opportunities.
CCBA has subsidised five large PET collectors who in turn pay small-scale collectors higher prices for plastic waste returned for recycling.
The PET waste aggregators then bale the PET or produce PET flakes and export it to re-recyclers in South Africa.
CCBA has also provided training to more than 3,000 women on the safe and efficient collection and sorting of plastic waste, empowering them to earn an income in the plastic waste circular economy.
A total of 37,000 people benefit from collection and recycling activity in Mozambique supported by CCBA.
“At CCBA, we are a proud industry leader in developing increasingly sustainable ways to manufacture, distribute and sell our products,” said CCBA’s managing director for Mozambique, Duncan Wyness.
“We use our industry leadership to be part of the solution to achieve positive change in the world and to build a more sustainable future for our planet.
“Our aim is to create greater shared opportunity for the business and the communities we serve across the value-chain. Opportunity is more than just money, it’s about a better future for people and their communities everywhere on the African continent.”
The Coca-Cola Company and all its bottling partners are leading the industry to help collect for recycling a bottle or can for every one they sell by 2030.
“We’re working to bring people together to help with achieving this goal,” said Wyness.
“Regardless of where it comes from, we want every package to have more than one life. Our approach is a voluntary collection and recycling model funded by industry, as we have done here in Mozambique by subsidising recyclers to incentivise collection.
“To encourage more people to recycle more often, we’re investing to help people understand what to recycle, how to recycle, and where to recycle. We also plan to work with local communities, NGOs, our competitors, and our critics to highlight this vital issue,” said Wyness.
