Bacolod stores help recycle PET bottles
FIVE hundred sari-sari stores and carinderias in Bacolod City helped their customers take more action around recycling to help advance a circular economy for plastic packaging.
Through the Tindahan Extra Mile (TEM): Balik PET Bottle Program, participating micro-retailers will receive financial incentives by collecting PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic bottles. The program provides convenient collection points in front of these local stores where residents can easily drop off their empty bottles for recycling. Store owners will accrue environmental points proportional to the bottles they collect, redeemable for cash or products through the bXTRA app.
TEM was launched by CocaCola Philippines, in partnership with Basic Environmental Systems and Technologies Inc. and the Philippine Association of Stores and Carinderia Owners.
Bacolod City Mayor Albee Benitez welcomed the initiative and emphasized the importance of partnering with industries, companies, social enterprises and nongovernment institutions to deliver impactful and sustainable opportunities that can help uplift lives. “By mobilizing our local entrepreneurs and fostering community engagement, we are taking significant strides toward a greener and more sustainable Bacolod,” he said.
Pablo Medina, senior director for franchise operations at CocaCola Philippines, said that TEM also “provides opportunities for financial independence and growth for … female entrepreneurs, driving positive change within their communities.”
To enable more micro-retailers and inspire collective action toward plastic bottle recycling, Coca-Cola Philippines will bring the TEM Program to Cebu and Cagayan de Oro in 2024.