You can now return special 2 litre plastic coke bottles and get your next one for R15, saving you around R7 depending on where you buy it.

Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa wants to see if a new range of returnable 2 litre PET plastic bottles can work on a dumpy scheme.

It is currently being rolled out as part of a pilot project in the Mandela Bay and Border-Kei districts in the Eastern Cape.

The returnable bottles are labelled with a ‘RETURNABLE’ band appearing in green on the front of the bottle.

The bottles can be re-used up to 14 times before being recycled and made into new bottles creating a much more environmentally friendly circular plastic economy.

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You can now return special 2 litre plastic coke bottles and get your next one for R15, saving you around R7 depending on where you buy it.

This is thanks to a pilot project launched by Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) to see if a new range of returnable 2 litre PET plastic bottles can be work on a dumpy scheme - the same way some glass bottles can be returned for a deposit.



The bottles have a paper label with a ‘RETURNABLE’ green band on the front of the bottle. It is currently being rolled out as part of a pilot project in the Mandela Bay and Border-Kei districts in the Eastern Cape and, if successful, is expected to be rolled out to the rest of the country.

According to CCBSA the bottles can be re-used up to 14 times before being recycled and made into new bottles, creating a much more environmentally friendly circular plastic economy.

The reusable system will work much like the dumpy system used when you return glass bottles in return for a deposit.

After returning their initial plastic bottle which costs around R22, customers get their next 'returnable' purchase for R15 for a 2 litre Coca-Cola Original Taste – Less Sugar, and R12 for other brands, like Coca-Cola No Sugar, Sprite and Fanta. This can save you roughly R7 or more depending on where you buy it.

“The launch of these returnable PET bottles is one way in which we are investing in innovative and more sustainable packaging,” said Velaphi Ratshefola, Managing Director of CCBSA.

Once a bottle is returned it will be cleaned and then refilled and start its next lifecycle.

“We’re committed to increasing recycled material in our packaging and ensuring more packaging is collected and recycled,” said Ratshefola.

PET, or Polyethylene terephthalate, is a general-purpose thermoplastic polymer and one of the most recycled thermoplastics and has the number "1" as its recycling symbol.

Recycled PET can be converted to fibres, fabrics, sheets for packaging and manufacturing automotive parts.

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