Coca-Cola Enterprises reports that spectators of the 70-day Great Britain-wide torch relay prior to the London 2012 Olympics recycled 30,000 drinks containers into its ‘Recycle Beat’ vehicle.
The recycled cans and bottles have been transported to Continuum Recycling – the newly opened plastics reprocessing facility in Lincolnshire, developed in partnership between Coca-Cola Enterprises and ECO Plastics – where the plastic bottles collected by the Recycle Beat vehicle will be processed and returned to shop shelves as new bottles in as little as six weeks.
The material collected came from torch relay spectators recycling their empty bottles and cans into a chute of their choice on the Recycle Beat van, which in turn activated a musical remix of Mark Ronson’s London 2012 anthem, ‘Move to the beat’.
As part of the youth-focused initiative, the Coca-Cola team also spread the word by administering over 30,000 temporary tattoos to spectators.
Visitors were able to capture the whole experience with their own photo, taken alongside Recycle Beat.
Designed to educate on recycling best practice and encourage behaviour change, the hybrid Recycle Beat van formed a prominent part of each city’s evening celebrations, with a dedicated recycling team working to engage local people, and inspire them to make personal recycling pledges.
Coca-Cola Enterprises recycling director Patrick McGuirk said: “We have spread the recycling message across Great Britain, reaching out directly to a vast number of consumers with the tour passing within ten miles of over 95 percent of the population. Along the way spectators recycled 30,000 bottles in just 10 weeks, which is really impressive.
“Coca-Cola Enterprises is committed to making recycling easier and more engaging for people. It is not just about recycling at the torch relay, it is about inspiring people to recycle everything possible in their daily lives, in public and at home.
“We want to show people what a difference recycling can make and the relay was a unique opportunity to spread this sustainability message.”
Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc is the world’s third-largest independent Coca-Cola bottler. CCE is the sole licensed bottler for products of The Coca-Cola Company in Belgium, continental France, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.
The Coca-Cola 'Recycle Beat' van - as seen throughout the Olympic torch relay around Great Britain
