Recycling Awareness Campaign Launched in Koki

Residents of Koki village can now return their PET plastic bottles for recycling thanks to the partnership with Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PNG (CCEP PNG)

A special recycling event, organised by Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PNG (CCEP PNG) and Branis Recycling, was held in the village on Tuesday (24^th September).

For the past month, CCEP and Koki village Councilor Geelong Auma have been in dialogue and conducted an awareness session encouraging villagers to save their PET plastic bottles.

On Tuesday 24^th October, Branis Recycling set up a temporary collection site in the village to collect the material and pay out 1K for every kilo of PET plastic bottles received.

CCEP PNG’s Sales and Commercial Director, Tim Solly, says: “We’re excited to bring recycling to Koki. Last year we launched a PET recycling scheme in Port Moresby and we're now collecting and recycling around 25% of the PET plastic bottles we put into the market in NCD.

“It's important we continue to raise awareness so people know they can earn money by collecting and recycling PET plastic beverage bottles. This will increase the amount collected and ensure it is recycled and doesn’t end up in the landfill or in the environment.”

“We are encouraging Koki residents and surrounding areas to start collecting PET plastic bottles and earn K1.00 a kilo of material by returning them the nearest Branis Recycling collection point at Hohola collection site, on Spondias street,” he says.

Mr. Solly says once the bottles have been collected, they are turned into plastic flake, using a granulator at Branis Recycling’s facility, and then exported to Malaysia for recycling.

Koki Village Councilor, Geelong Auma, says: “We are happy that this programme has come to Koki and it’s a great initiative by Coca-Cola to collect the PET plastic bottles that they sell to consumers.”

“Being a fast-growing urban village it is crucial for us to keep our village clean and keep plastic out of our waterways and this collection scheme helps our people here.”