Coca-Cola helps Karapiro World Rowing Champs go green

Thousands of visitors and rowers at the 2010 World Rowing Championships will be urged to ‘give it back and recycle’ thanks to the launch of an event recycling programme by Coca-Cola Amatil New Zealand (CCANZ).

The country’s largest non-alcoholic beverage bottler, Coca-Cola Amatil is a key partner of Karapiro 2010 for the World Rowing Championships held on Lake Karapiro this month.

Winning an IOC Oceania award in 2009 for the event’s Project Rainbow goals, including a carbon reduction plan and a zero waste plan, Karapiro 2010 has worked with Coca-Cola to introduce a unique and innovative public place recycling programme for the championships.

This includes the set up of 150 specially designed recycling bins alongside waste bins from the park and ride to the lakeside, flags identifying the bin clusters, banners, big screen animation and a volunteer force of 60+ ‘Green Team’ members, actively encouraging people to recycle.

Tom Mayo, CEO of the 2010 World Rowing Championships, says the partnership with Coca-Cola will help the event achieve its ambitious goals.

“This is New Zealand’s most significant sports event of 2010 and the world is watching how it’s run. With its high level of sustainability and environmental commitment, Project Rainbow will potentially form the template for future global events. The infrastructure commitment made by Coca-Cola in helping us achieve our zero waste target is a visible and tangible way event visitors can play their part.”

Kylla Petersen, CCANZ’s Recycling Activation Manager for the 2010 World Rowing Championships says the significant event recycling launched at Lake Karapiro is just the beginning.

“Our goal is to be a catalyst for positive change in recycling. This partnership with the 2010 World Rowing Championships is a great way to encourage people to recycle when they're out and about.

"New Zealanders are great recyclers when given the chance, just consider the 97% reported rate of metropolitan recycling when there’s easy access to kerbside or drop-off recycling services.

“We want to decrease the amount of recyclables going needlessly to landfill, whether that’s bottles or cans. All of our containers can be recycled and reused, and we're working hard to help the public make the right choice when disposing of their can or bottle,” says Kylla Petersen.

Coca-Cola Amatil will undertake post event calculation and reporting of actual recycling rates over the entire event, including volumes of recyclable plastic collected. This will be used as a benchmark for future events.

Key facts

- Thousands of recyclable plastic bottles will be saved from landfill during just 9 days thanks to Coca-Cola Amatil‘s partnership with Karapiro 2010.

- 150 specially designed bins placed around the course from the park and ride to the lakeside make it easy to recycle.

- Each bin features a unique bottle-shaped hole in the lid. Coca-Cola’s research* showed the bottle-shaped hole was a strong motivator for encouraging recycling by making it simple and fun when out and about.

- 60+ local volunteers make up the roving ‘Green Team’ of recycling ambassadors.

- Each Green Team member wears a red hat and a green t-shirt, made using a total of 10 recycled PET bottles.

- Trial event recycling at the annual Christchurch and Auckland Coca-Cola Christmas in the Park have seen event recycling increase by 580% since 2005.

- Coca-Cola Amatil has invested more than $3million in voluntary recycling since 2004.

- All the packaging produced by Coca-Cola Amatil is recyclable including labels, bottle tops, pallet wrap and the actual beverage container.

- The recycled PET content used across Coca-Cola's product range is approximately 10%. Coca-Cola Amatil chooses to use non virgin content in the manufacture of its PET bottles at a significant cost premium to virgin PET and was the first New Zealand beverage manufacturer to do so.

- Coca-Cola Amatil has been a member of Keep NZ Beautiful since 1970 and is an active member of the NZ Packaging Council.