Innovative recycling scheme inspires carnival fans to ‘go green’

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Families enjoying Notting Hill Carnival helped recycle over 4495 plastic bottles on Sunday 28th August by bringing their empty drink bottles to Coca-Cola Enterprises' (CCE) award winning Swap for Swag1 shop at Portobello Green Market.

This was a part of a wider Notting Hill Carnival recycling initiative, managed by the recycling company SITA UK and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, which will see the Carnival reach the impressive landmark of zero waste to landfill for the first time.

Swap for Swag, run by volunteers from CCE, aims to inspire consumers at major music and cultural events to get involved in the recycling process. At the Swap for Swag shop, people swapped their empty plastic bottles for limited edition carnival essentials made out of recycled PET.2   Items including rain ponchos, picnic blankets and t-shirts were available with the following swap deals:

Coca-Cola Enterprises' Recycling Director, Patrick McGuirk, said:  "We are delighted with the success of the recycling effort at Notting Hill Carnival and with how enthusiastically carnival goers embraced the challenge.

"Coca-Cola Enterprises is committed to making recycling easier and more engaging for consumers.  It's not just about recycling at events; it's about inspiring people to recycle every bottle, every can, every day. We want to show people what a difference recycling can make and the carnival environment is a great place to spread this sustainability message."

CCE aims to give all PET plastic bottles a second life - to take used plastic back, wash it, break it down and turn it into new PET bottles for the next round of festivities. CCE is committed to recover the equivalent of 100 per cent of its packaging by 2020.  In support of CCE's sustainability goals, the Swap for Swag baler and production office are powered by a solar generator and panels.