Merlin Entertainments are to partner with Coca-Cola in a bid to help protect the planet and reduce plastic waste.
Guests will be in with a chance of winning VIP experiences at some of the UK’s best-known family attractions in exchange for simply bringing along an empty 500ml plastic bottle and recycling it, at one of the specifically designed reverse vending machines across UK attractions.
The announcement is the latest in a series of actions from Coca-Cola Great Britain to encourage people to recycle. As part of its global goal, Coca-Cola aims to help collect and recycle a bottle or can for each one it sells by 2030.
Since the launch of the initiative in 2019, Merlin has collected and recycled over 100,000 plastic bottles through specifically designed Coca-Cola reverse vending machines and is now offering guests the chance to be part of the action and enter between 1 July and 30 September 2023.
There will be 28 reverse vending machines on-site at 11 participating Merlin Entertainments attractions, including Alton Towers Resort, Legoland Windsor Resort, Thorpe Park Resort, Chessington World of Adventures Resort, Warwick Castle, Sea Life aquariums in Blackpool, Birmingham, Brighton and London, The Blackpool Tower, and Legoland Discovery Centre Birmingham.
“This summer, reverse vending machines will be located across Merlin attractions which will enable guests to recycle their plastic bottles to ensure they can be used again as well as giving people the chance to win some amazing VIP experiences,” said Elodie Peribere, Marketing Director Coca-Cola Great Britain.
“We share Merlin’s passion for entertainment and goals for sustainability: all of our bottles are 100% recyclable, and this year we added attached caps across our portfolio to make it easier for people to recycle the whole package and help reduce littering.”
Meanwhile, Dare Ilori, Group Sustainability Director, added: “Plastic waste remains a long-term environmental issue and we are committed to raising awareness and helping establish solutions to address it.
“As a global company, we’ll always seek to reduce our impact on the environment with clear, measurable actions. But now we also encourage our guests to respect their own environments and do the right thing for a sustainable future.
“We are proud to partner with Coca-Cola again on this brilliant initiative and to educate our guests to reduce, return and recycle their plastic and protect our planet.”
Images: Merlin Entertainments