It has been reported that over 80,000 used PET bottles and aluminium cans have been gathered through the initiative of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) and the Samoa and Tokelau Association of Recyclers (S.T.A.R.)’s initiative, launched this month. It is a pilot project in Central Apia for about three months, where it encourages the consumers to return all the used beverage cans and bottles, for which they would be getting a return of 5 sene. It is assumed by the S.T.A.R. and CCEP that it would help to recycle the scrap from the Tafaigata Landfill. While S.T.A.R. is assigned the task of collecting the used cans, the CCEP mainly focuses on exporting the collected cans for recycling purposes.
Image source: Pooraka Bottle & Can
The main motivation behind this initiative is to spread awareness among consumers about the waste management practices, bolster circular economy principles and uphold the extended producer responsibility framework given by CCEP. It is expected that a total of 34,000 beverage cans and containers have been collected since the end of April as stated by Nancy Vito, president of S.T.A.R. Nancy Vito stated this has “more than doubled” in the meantime, which is “a great sign our local community is keen to collect and return their beverage bottles and cans.”
He continued to add, “We’re delighted to have such high levels of consumer engagement. Families, church youth groups and environmentally concerned citizens are returning their containers and on Saturday earned a total of $4,000 for the effort.”
The gathered cans and bottles would be transferred to the Coca-Cola Distribution Centre at Vaitele to be crushed and shipped for recycling purposes. Nancy Vito also mentioned, “It is important for us to shift our mindsets so that we can support the sustainability of our environment for our future generations to come. “S.T.A.R. believes that this initiative is just one of many solutions that will address Samoa’s plastic problem. S.T.A.R. continues to collect and stockpile plastics and aluminium cans confidently to eventually resolve the ongoing issue of plastics along the kerbside and from entering our beautiful seas via littering around the seawall and around the island.”
The sales manager for CCEP, Moira Simi, stated, “This is an important strategic initiative for us, which is consistent with our desire to ensure our packaging is collected and recycled and does not find its way into the environment. We are extremely happy to be in partnership with STAR as a progressive Samoan recycling organisation, and we look forward to continuing the program and extending it to other areas of Samoa.”
This entire development took place after Marcos Orellana, UN Special Rapporteur on Toxics & Human Rights, expressed his concern about the CCEP's use of single-use plastic bottles in Samoa.
It is estimated that the company has itself contributed to at least one-third of the entire plastic bottle waste generated in the country within just a few months. Moreover, the plastic bottles imported have increased the overall transit-related emissions and the release of microplastics into the environment.
It is also noted that the legal complaints against Coca-Cola have ensured that the company re-analyse its ‘misleading’ claim of 100 per cent recycled and reusable content for all the plastic bottles. However, these statements could only apply to specific components of the bottles, leaving aside the adhesives, caps and inks.
In addition, Aldi Hungary upheld that as the country’s national deposit return system was recently launched in January 2024, approximately 140 million units of single-use plastic items were returned to the REpont machines, ensuring that almost 3000+ plastic and glass bottles were being handled per store on a daily basis.
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