Coca-Cola Philippines Ramps up PET Plastic Bottle Recycling Program through 2,200 Sari-Sari Stores and Carinderias Across NCR

MANILA, Philippines, 17 January 2024 — Consumers across Metro Manila can now drop off their empty PET bottles for recycling at over 2,200 sari-sari stores and carinderias. This initiative, the Tindahan Extra Mile (TEM): Balik PET Bottle Program of Coca-Cola Philippines and Basic Environmental Systems and Technologies, Inc. (BEST), not only extends the life of these bottles but also offers financial incentives for store owners. 

 

Promoting environmental sustainability while earning incentives 

 

How does this work? TEM collection bins are positioned in front of sari-sari stores and carinderias where consumers can conveniently drop off their empty bottles and cans for recycling. After collection, PET bottles are weighed at each store and recorded in the store owner's bXTRA app account. Store owners earn points that can be exchanged for cash back depending on the number of bottles acquired in a month. They can choose to withdraw the points as cash or use them to acquire Coca-Cola products and merchandise. 

 

 

TEM collection bins are placed in front of sari-sari stores and carinderias. 

Here, consumers can drop their empty bottles and cans for recycling. 

 

“Malaking tulong sa amin ‘tong programa, kaya salamat talaga sa Coca-Cola. Kumikita na kami, nakatutulong pa kami sa kalikasan (We are grateful to Coca-Cola because this program is a big help to us. We are earning while also helping the environment),” said Carolina Catimbang, a store owner in Brgy. West Bicutan. 

 

 

Store owner Lolita Repia said Coca-Cola Philippines and BEST’s Tindahan Extra Mile Program has helped her grow her business and increase her income while contributing to the cleanliness of her community. 

 

When asked about her inspiration in joining the TEM Program, Lolita Repia, another store owner, shared, “Ang naging inspirasyon ko sa pagsali sa programa ay ang pag-recycle. Ginagawa ko na ‘yun dati pa, nagbebenta ako ng mga bote sa junk shop (My inspiration for joining the program is recycling. I've been doing that for a while; I sell bottles directly to junk shops). 

 

“Pero ngayon, mas excited akong gawin ito dahil alam kong ‘yung mga bote na kinokolekta ko, magiging bote ulit. Masaya akong nakakatulong sa kapaligiran (But now, I'm more excited to do this because I know that the bottles I collect will become bottles again. I am happy to contribute to the environment), she added. 

 

Inspiring collective action toward recycling 

 

“Noong una sinasabihan namin ‘yung mga bumibili dito na kapag bumili sila ng Coke products, itapon nila ‘yung PET bottles sa bins. Ngayon, automatic na, eh (At first, we used to tell our customers that when they buy Coke products, they should throw the PET bottles into the bins. Now, it’s automatic),” shared Catimbang who noticed the easy cooperation of their customers in their recycling efforts. 

 

 

Carolina Catimbang showing Coca-Cola products sold at her store. 

The packaging of these products are made from 100% recycled plastic. 

 

“Kahit ‘yung jeepney drivers na customer namin, ‘yung trash nila, minsan sila na rin nagkukusang maglagay sa bins. Kaya minsan nagugulat ako, ang dami na (Even the jeepney drivers, who are our customers, willingly put their trash in the bins. That’s why sometimes I get surprised that our bins are filled with empty bottles),” she added. 

 

For PASCO National President Elilyn Gadia and National Treasurer Emma Alvarez, the TEM Program help adults become better examples to children. “Dapat nakikita ng mga bata sa mga magulang nila ‘yung pag-segregate ng basura at paglilinis ng kapaligiran. Natutuwa kami ‘pag may nakikita silang PET bottle sa daan, pinupulot nila (Children should see their parents segregating waste and cleaning their surroundings. We are happy to see children picking up empty bottles on the road). 

 

Gadia and Alvarez said they are happy to see TEM Program members growing with the help of Coca-Cola Philippines, especially as sari-sari stores and carinderia owners continue to recover from the income loss during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Advancing circularity of plastic packaging 

 

For 2024, Coca-Cola Philippines announces that it is expanding the Tindahan Extra Mile program to 2,400 stores.  

 

“We are one with Coca-Cola Philippines in ensuring that our bottles can have many lives by bringing our collected PET Bottles from Sari-Sari Stores to PETValue Philippines, a first of its kind,” said Jan Vincent Mercado, Senior Vice President for Business Development of BEST. “Our commitment to sustainability and waste innovation comes full circle through this partnership. Indeed, it is refreshing to walk the talk in circularity,” he added. 

Members of BEST delivering collected bottles through the Tindahan Extra Mile program

to the PETValue facility in Cavite

 

In September 2023, Coca-Cola Philippines launched its consumer engagement program, ‘May Ikabobote Pa’, to educate, inspire, and engage more consumers to return their empty bottles and cans so they can be recycled and turned into new materials. Through this, the company hopes to inspire behavior change among consumers and empower like-minded organizations and communities to continue working together to prevent plastic waste from ending up in places where they are not supposed to be. 

 

To advance the circularity of plastic packaging, Coca-Cola Philippines introduced new bottles made from 100% recycled PET plastic. This packaging innovation is now available in Coca-Cola Original (190ml), Wilkins Pure (500ml), and Sprite 500ml. These bottles can be recycled many times, significantly reducing the volume of virgin plastics created and used. 

Consumers can locate the nearest collection points and discover more about Coca-Cola Philippines’ recycling initiatives through the Coca-Cola Sustainability Hub. 

IN CHOOSING PURIFIED WATER, ARE YOU SURE IT’S ‘UNTOUCHED BY HUMAN HANDS’?

Sanitation concerns in the ongoing pandemic calls for ‘contactless’ procedures—that is, human touch at barest minimum during transactions whenever possible. This prevents the potential spread of the virus through human hands.

It makes sense that this same norm should also be applied in the production of packaged goods we buy, especially in something as essential as bottled water. When you wonder about your cleanest, safest choice for your everyday drinking water, it’s worth asking: which among the countless water brands available are bottled with the least hand contact? Is zero human intervention even possible in the bottling process?

It’s reassuring to know that Coca-Cola Philippines has Wilkins Pure which is guaranteed to be ‘untouched by human hands.’ A state-of-the-art and fully-automated production line helps ensure that every bottle is safe and free from harmful contaminants unseen to the naked eye, and is at peak quality for your daily hydration needs.

It doesn’t stop there. Every bottle of Wilkins Pure undergoes all of the 7 stages of purification — micro-filtration, multi-media filtration, carbon filtration, polishing filtration, reverse osmosis, UV treatment and ozonization. Such a thorough process ensures high quality water that is pure to the last drop.

This certainty of purity is authoritatively vouched for by international global safety standards. Wilkins Pure has qualified for: Food Safety System Certification version 5 as recognized by the Global Safety Initiative; NSF Certification; Certification of Good Manufacturing Practices, Certification for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) Codex Alimentarius and ABWA Certification under the International Bottled Water Association; among other certifications for Occupational Health and Safety Management and Environmental Management. That’s all on top of the exacting the exacting global audit standards of the Coca Cola Company, acknowledged for its longstanding quality reputation worldwide.

“We know how important water is for our daily health and hydration. But in these times of uncertainty, we also know that the last thing consumers need to worry about is what bottled water to buy,” says Teejae Sonza, Marketing Director of Coca-Cola Philippines. “With Wilkins Pure, they can be assured that what they’re buying is internationally certified safe and free from unseen contaminants, giving them peace of mind knowing what they are drinking is indeed pure and good for every day consumption.”

At a time where each day is faced with the threat of unseen enemies, don’t leave one’s health and safety to chance. Go with guaranteed safe drinking water, and ‘para sure’ choose Wilkins Pure. Order Wilkins Pure via cokebeverages.ph or call the hotline at (02) 8813-2653 for deliveries within Metro Manila and 1800-1-888-2653 for orders outside Metro Manila.


About Coca-Cola in the Philippines

Coca-Cola has been refreshing Filipinos and making a difference in the Philippines for 108 years. The Philippines was Coca-Cola’s first market in Asia to begin local bottling operations. Today, the Coca-Cola system in the Philippines has evolved into a total beverage company, offering 19 brands in its beverage portfolio and employing over 10,000 Filipinos in over 19 manufacturing facilities and more than 60 distribution centers nationwide. As part of its long-standing commitment to the country, Coca-Cola continues to #GOBEYONDGOOD as a business by continuously supporting safe water access programs in over 200 communities, empowering over 200,000 women entrepreneurs through training and peer mentoring, and accelerating packaging collection and recycling under its global World Without Waste initiative.

EXPERTS URGE PUBLIC TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT DRINKING WATER

M

MANILA, July 6, 2020 – Health experts reveal that it is not enough that the water you drink looks clean to the naked eye. Your water should also be proven clean through lab tests, to avoid common water bourne diseases, such as cholera, dysentery, and gastroenteritis. Unfiltered water also has many potential contaminants, such as chlorine, heavy metals and allergens, as well as parasites.

Despite this, keep in mind that water is also important in everyday hydration. A document released by the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition cites hydration as a key to supporting the body’s ability to fight the COVID-19 virus and support the immune system, recommending 2-4 ounces of clear liquid beverages every 15 minutes.

“Keeping properly hydrated at a time like this refreshes our bodies and keeps the virus away,” said Dr. Sybil R. Bravo, a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital and a member of the Blood-Bourne Infectious Diseases Core Team.

Health experts around the world continue to stress the need for proper hydration, along with getting enough sleep and proper handwashing, as the best ways to ward off the COVID-19 virus. However, access to safe and clean water continues to be a challenge. There are many harmful substances and minerals in unpurified water, and not all bottled water in the market is the same

Finding clean water that undergoes stringent purification processes to filter harmful substances and minerals means checking the purification process of which it undergoes. Some follow stricter and more stringent global processes to ensure that they are truly clean. Wilkins Pure, one of the water brands of The Coca-Cola Company, is certain to be clean and pure. With international certifications under its belt, Wilkins Pure goes through an advanced, seven-step purification process, which help assure that the water you drink purifies the body of toxins.

Learn more about the Wilkins via its official Facebook page or cokebeverages.ph.


About Coca-Cola in the Philippines

Coca-Cola has been refreshing Filipinos and making a difference in the Philippines for 108 years. The Philippines was Coca-Cola’s first market in Asia to begin local bottling operations. Today, the Coca-Cola system in the Philippines has evolved into a total beverage company, offering 19 brands in its beverage portfolio and employing over 10,000 Filipinos in over 19 manufacturing facilities and more than 60 distribution centers nationwide. As part of its long-standing commitment to the country, Coca-Cola continues to #GOBEYONDGOOD as a business by continuously supporting safe water access programs in over 200 communities, empowering over 200,000 women entrepreneurs through training and peer mentoring, and accelerating packaging collection and recycling under its global World Without Waste initiative.