As part of this regional program, the first shipment of community-collected PET from Vanuatu – totalling 9.4 tonnes – has arrived in Melbourne for processing at CPA’s PET plastic recycling facility in Altona North. This first-of-its-kind initiative for CCEP marks an important early step in establishing a regular pathway for Pacific-collected plastic to be recycled into new beverage bottles in Australia.
Pacific Island nations face disproportionately high impacts from plastic pollution due to limited recycling infrastructure, meaning most PET currently cannot be processed in-market.
Orlando Rodriguez, Managing Director - Australia at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, said:
“Coca-Cola Europacific Partners is proud to be spearheading this initiative, because creating true circularity in the Pacific requires solutions that operate across borders. By moving community collected PET into Australia’s established recycling system, we’re demonstrating that small island nations can fully participate in a modern circular economy, even when local recycling infrastructure is limited. It’s a powerful example of what industry collaboration can achieve, and we’re committed to scaling this model so more Pacific communities can benefit.”
Working with local partners, CCEP has supported the development of community collection programs that provide economic incentives, create job pathways and help reduce litter. Through this initiative, PET collected via these systems can be flaked, densified and transported to Australia for recycling into high-quality, food-grade rPET.
