SOUTH AFRICA – Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) is hosting river and coastal clean-ups to contribute towards the 67 minutes during Mandela Day.
The activities are open to volunteers across South Africa and are in partnership with key government stakeholders.
This is part of CCBSA’s ongoing World Without Waste (WWW) commitment to protecting local water resources and providing safe, clean drinking water to communities.
Together with local government and NGOs, CCBSA is calling on all South Africans to collaborate in its annual Clear Rivers Campaign to help remove plastic waste from parks, rivers, and coastlines.
Nozicelo Ngcobo, CCBSA Public Affairs, Communications and Sustainability Director, said that partnerships are key in changing society’s attitude and behavior towards responsible management of waste and keeping South Africa’s communities and environment clean and safe.
“We are working in our communities to educate people on why and how to recycle through amongst others, sustained consumer campaigns and on-package messaging, to create a healthier environment for all,” Ngcobo.
CCBSA is working with municipalities and community organizations, recognizing that as a beverage producer, that uses plastic bottles and tin to package its beverages, it has a responsibility to collect waste and appreciates the importance of cross-sector collaboration.
“We work with a range of stakeholders at a regional and local level. This includes partnering with governments and community organizations to strengthen recycling infrastructure and boost collection rates; collaborating with customers, peers, and industry associations to shape public policy that supports a circular economy. We also team up with suppliers, start-ups, and R&D partners to innovate sustainable packaging,” added Ngcobo.
CCBSA will target a number of areas as part of Mandela Day, on 18-25 July 2023 across the country including Alexandra Township and Braamfontein in Gauteng, Bloemfontein in Free State, Mpumalanga, Pietermaritzburg, Port Shepstone, Durban, in Kwa Zulu Natal and Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape.
The Clear Rivers Campaign concentrates efforts on areas where a stream or a river is situated near a community that experiences river pollution due to dumping of waste.
Activities include waste removal, illegal dumping removal, litter picking, environmental education, and rodent and pest control awareness.
In 2021, Coca-Cola approved an R3 million grant and partnered with PET Recycling South Africa (PETCO) to support the national network of over 100 buy-back centers as part of efforts to keep PET (polyethylene terephthalate) packaging out of the environment and into recycling for reuse.
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