Plastic—what would we do without it? It’s an important part of our everyday life and serves as the packaging for many products used on a daily basis. Not only is it a versatile packaging material but it’s also easy to use, which is why packaging accounts for 42 percent of plastic produced.103 However, it’s also one of the biggest contributors of waste.

A plastic-use audit in some of the world beaches found that products from Coca Cola, Pepsi, and Nestlé were the three largest contributors of plastic waste.104 In the open ocean between the U.S. states Hawaii and San Francisco and between Africa and Australia are areas where plastic wastes have accumulated and are carried by ocean currents, resulting in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and the Indian Ocean Garbage Patch, respectively. These continue to grow, with current estimates that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is three times the size of France (or twice the size of Texas).105 This not only represents a major hazard to marine life in the area, but also poses dangers to shipping traffic.

Current statistics suggest that in the United States about 23 percent of plastic bottles are recycled but this figure varies between countries.106 These levels of recycling indicate that there is potential to change behavior and further increase levels of recycling. Recycled plastic bottles can be turned into other products, including clothing and sleeping bags. Both Coca-Cola and Pepsi have identified recycling as a major issue for their industry. Majority of the sales of beverages are in plastic bottles. This makes it important to develop alternatives to petroleum-based PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic bottles for packaging. This enables companies like Coca-Cola to have the goal of collecting and recycling 100 percent of their bottles and cans by 2030.107 Plastic bottles are generally made from petroleum, so using other plant-based ingredients means a lower carbon footprint. Pepsi and Coca-Cola have developed alternatives that attempt to reduce the carbon footprint associated with the traditional plastic bottle, and enable each bottle to be recycled and reused. Coca-Cola has introduced the PlantBottle, which is made of 30 percent sugarcane and the waste from sugarcane products though research is currently underway to increase this to 100 percent.108 This bottle functions and feels exactly like a traditional plastic bottle, and meets the high-quality packaging that consumers expect. The first prototype of this bottle was introduced in 2009, and more than 35 million of them have now been sold in 40 countries.

Pepsi’s bottle is also made of plant waste, which allows for these bottles to be turned into new Pepsi bottles.109 To encourage consumers to recycle their plastic bottles, various strategies have been developed by Coca-Cola and Pepsi that reward consumers for their recycling activities.

In Singapore, in 2012, the “Recycle Happiness Machine”

campaign included a recycling machine in public places that rewarded consumers every time they recycled a plastic Coke bottle. The empty Coke bottles were placed in this speciallydeveloped bottle recycling machine, and, in return, the consumers were rewarded with a variety of different items.

Some of the items that the machine dispensed were flowers, t-shirts, and caps, all made from recycled plastic bottles.

Each item also contained a note encouraging consumers to continue recycling. A total of 51,827 bottles were recycled in this campaign, and a video of the campaign that was uploaded on YouTube got 45,000 views. 110 In 2018, Coca-

Cola Beverages South Africa’s (CCBSA) successful Schools Recycling Programme sponsored a recycling program to encourage children to collect bottles and other recyclable materials. A total of 866 schools participated, with those collecting the most receiving cash to develop their school. In this way, 982 tons of PET (plastic) was collected.111 Pepsi has partnered with international non-government agencies and local citizens in various countries in Waste to Wealth initiatives. These initiatives encourage recycling by providing an income for those who collect recyclable items.

Other organizations that also have products that retail in plastic bottles, such as Nestlé and Johnson & Johnson, have also introduced education and reward programs to increase the recycling rates of these items.

In the United Kingdom, rewards have been given to consumers based on the pledges made to recycle in the

‘Recycling is the Answer’ campaign launched by Tesco and Coca-Cola.112 The purpose of the pledges was to educate families about the importance of recycling while also highlighting the importance of nature and the environment.

Rewards, such as a discount voucher or loyalty points for the store rewards program, have been given to those pledging their support. A family holiday to France was also among the rewards being offered.

Rewards are not the only way to encourage recycling.

In some European countries, consumers pay a deposit on the plastic bottle when buying their beverages. When this bottle is returned, it is placed in a recycling machine that returns the deposit to the consumer in the form of a voucher. This voucher is then presented to the retailer to get the deposit back. Countries like Indonesia have other strategies such as allowing customers to pay their bus fare using plastic bottles. A two-hour bus ride costs 5 plastic bottles or 10 plastic cups. Through this scheme, buses can collect 250kg per day, helping fund bus operations as well as develop green spaces.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS CS 10-1 How do Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Nestlé, and Johnson &

Johnson benefit from their various strategies with regard to plastic disposal? How do you feel about what they are doing?

CS 10-2 Why do you think Coca-Cola decided to include rewards and other experiences in its recycling campaign in Singapore and South Africa? Do you think they were appropriate rewards?

CS 10-3 Suggest other ways to increase recycling in your community (besides those indicated here).

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