Over the summer between 25 July and 19 October 2018, Coca-Cola has teamed up with Merlin Entertainments - a company responsible for many theme parks over the country (Thorpe Park and LEGOLAND) - offering half price entry to their attractions for used plastic bottles.
Coca-Cola Great Britain have announced the scheme following the research they conducted that showed that 64% of people "would recycle more on-the-go if they were rewarded instantly for their actions." These visitors are then invited to bring and recycle any 500ml plastic bottle, using one of the on-site "Reverse Vending" machines. They are found at one of four chosen sites at the attractions and instantly reward the user with a voucher for 50% off entry to the Merlin Attractions, which can be worth up to £27 at the right attraction.
These vending machines are made by the company Unisan, called CafeCrush, and are used by crushing the bottles once deposited. As the machines are only for 500ml bottles, they are not contaminated by other waste types so they are able to be more efficient in recycling. Since the bottles are crushed down, it reduces the volume of waste by around 90%, allowing for greater quantities to be transported at a time, which is a win for both the consumers and the environment. Unisan also offer a variety of products to help make recycling easier and more efficient in the workplace and public.
Commenting on the scheme, vice president and general manager at Coca-Cola European Partners Leendert den Hollander said: "Through this exciting new trial with Merlin Entertainments we hope to remind people how valuable their empty plastic bottle is. All of our bottles can be recycled and we want to get as many of them back as possible so they can be turned into new bottles and not end up as litter".
