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MISSION Pacific has expanded its PET plastic bottle collection to further increase the collection of plastic bottles and cans and drive positive recycling behaviour in Fiji.
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) Fiji has operated the Mission Pacific PET bottle and can collection scheme in partnership with Fiji Water and Motibhai since 1999 as part of the company's ongoing commitment to the sustainability of its packaging.
Collectors are paid a collection refund for returned bottles and cans in three locations across Fiji.
CCEP Fiji general manager Roger Hare says the company has a global commitment to help collect a bottle or can for every one it sells.
"As beverage manufacturers it is our responsibility to have a long-term commitment to the sustainability of our packaging. We encourage other manufacturers and retailers of beverages to come on board with Mission Pacific to help prevent plastic bottles and cans from going to landfill or worse, make their way into the marine environment.” He says the vast majority of plastic bottles and cans are able to be, and should be, recycled.
"We really want to significantly increase the amount of bottles and cans we collect. We know increasing collection centres around three things - convenience, accessibility and incentive. Therefore we looked at ways to make it easier and more lucrative for Fijians to recycle to really try drive up those collection numbers."
Mr Hare says the first initiative was to pilot working with Paradise Beverages, on the home collection of PET bottles together with glass beer bottles.
"Given contractors were already driving trucks around Suva to collect returnable glass beer bottles for Paradise Beverages across Suva and Nadi, we thought this was a great opportunity to trial collecting PET bottles at the same time.
A number of contractors have worked with us to extend their collection services to PET with consumers being paid an incentive when they bring their PET bottles to the trucks at the same time as the glass bottles." Mr Hare says another new initiative is increasing collection points using a mobile caravan.
"The Mission Pacific collection caravan is appearing at a number of festivals and event around Suva, for example the Public Rental Board Market carnivals and Fiji Sports Council events. People are paid 5c for every bottle they return.
"We've been advertising on social media, in newspapers and distributing flyers ahead of the event to let people know we will be there and to bring their PET bottles in for collection. We'd really like to grow this by expanding this network to cover some of the big resorts as well as increasing the number of collection depots."
"Packaging waste is undoubtedly a major challenge and it's also a solvable one if we take action.
“Our plastic bottles have intrinsic value and we need to treat them this way.
“This means helping to collect and recycle all the plastic bottles we bring to the market so that they can be used again and again, and we can further reduce our overall use of new plastic."
In other packaging sustainability initiatives, in 2019 CCEP Fiji launched a clear bottle for Sprite - the first in the South Pacific – which makes it easier to recycle.
"Our staff also participate in regular volunteering days, often with their families, for beach clean-ups and habitat rehabilitation. And in 2017 we launched a 1.1 megawatt rooftop solar panel installation on our manufacturing facility in Suva, one of the largest in the country.
"As part of a commitment to reduce our carbon footprint we continue to look for opportunities to increase the use of renewable and low-carbon energy and to improve our manufacturing efficiency."
Mission Pacific expands initiatives to increase collection of PET Bottles as part of global sustainability commitments