Coca Cola to recycle 30% of US PET bottles

05 September 2007 21:34 [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--US beverage giant Coca Cola plans to recycle or reuse 30% of the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) used in its US bottles (PET) by 2010, with the goal of eventually recycling all of its PET in order to save money and reduce waste, the company said on Wednesday.

“We have set an ambitious goal to recycle or re-use all the plastic bottles we use in the US market,” according to a statement issued by Sandy Douglas, president Coca-Cola North America.

To achieve that goal, the company plans to build nine recycling plants in 2008 and another 35 in 2010, said Diana Garza Ciarlante, spokeswoman.

By 2010, the company plans to recycle 30% of its PET, up from its current 5%, she said.

For one recycling centre, Coca Cola said it plans to invest more than $60m (€44m). The company said it will be the world's largest plastic bottle-to-bottle recycling plant.

Coca Cola said it will build the plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, with United Resource Recovery. The plant will open in 2008 and become fully operational in 2009.

The plant will produce about 100m lb (45.4 tonnes)/year of food-grade recycled PET, the equivalent of producing nearly 2bn bottles that each can hold 20 ounces (0.6 litre), Coca Cola said.

The company said it has invested in other recycling plants in Switzerland, Mexico, Austria and the Philippines.

By: Al Greenwood
+1 713 525 2653

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