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PET Collection Bin being handed over to Duleep Wijesekara (MP) – Deputy Minister of Disaster Management and Priyanthi Samaraweera, Principal, WP/KE/Sapugaskanda Vishaka Balika Vidyalaya by Nilanthi Jayatillake – Country HR Manager, Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka Limited. |
“Give Back Life”
Coca-Cola announced the launch of the next phase of
its PET collection and recycling project, a part of its on-going community
development and environmental conservation campaign “Give Back Life”. Launched
in 2008, the “Give Back Life” project has been responsible for the collection
and recycling of over 9 tons of PET plastics. This year, Coca-Cola is
celebrating the 5th year of this ground breaking project by
launching a community based PET collection programme across 28 schools in
Biyagama.
Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka Limited in
partnership with the
Central Environmental Authority (CEA), the
Biyagama Education Division and Kalhari Enterprises are taking the mission one step further by taking
steps to conserve the environment, by inculcating the habit
of recycling among school children.
The program involves children from participating
schools collecting PET plastics and on the last Thursday of every month,
designated as 'PET Day', Kalhari Enterprises will visit the schools to collect
the accumulated PET waste. Coca-Cola will provide PET Day collection bins, date
calendars and stickers to the participating schools.
As an added incentive, Kalhari will pay Rs.30/= per
kilo of PET collected. This money will be credited directly to the schools
development fund on a quarterly basis and will be used to fund school
development activities and student welfare projects.
The first PET Day collection bin was handed over to
Duleep Wijesekara (MP) – Deputy Minister of Disaster Management and Priyanthi
Samaraweera, Principal, WP/KE/Sapugaskanda Vishaka Balika Vidyalaya. Present on
the occasion from Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka Limited were Nilanthi
Jayatillake - Country Human Resource Manager, along with Divisional Director of
Education for the Biyagama Education Division K.K. Renuka P. Edirisinghe and
the School Principals of the Biyagama Education Division.
Speaking at the event, Nilanthi Jayatillake, Country Human Resource Manager, Coca-Cola
Beverages Sri Lanka Limited said, “Coca-Cola believes in giving back to the
communities in which we operate. The PET recycling project “Give Back Life” was
designed to manage the growing quantity of PET bottle waste in Sri Lanka. Over
the last five years we have seen the project grow from strength to strength and
we thank our friends in the CEA for their dedication and support. This project
in Biyagama marks a new goal for us – the inclusion and empowerment of school
children, and having worked with the people of Biyagama over the last couple of
years we are confident that the PET Day school development project will be a
resounding success.”
Nilanthi Jayatillake also
thanked project partner Kalhari Enterprises “Our partnership with Kalhari is
based on professional trust and two common goals - save our environment and
empower the younger generation. We salute the enthusiasm with which they have
embraced this project”.
Coca-Cola is focused on sustainability and
undertakes many projects in various parts of Sri Lanka to provide flood relief,
reconstruction and rehabilitation programmes to the people of the area. Last
year, the company organized a an inter school PET collection competition with Sir
Rob Swan, OBE- a Polar explorer, motivational speaker and environmental leader
who was in Sri Lanka to support Coca Cola's sustainability initiatives.
Coca-Cola
in Sri Lanka
Coca-Cola in Sri Lanka refreshes thousands of
consumers throughout the country with an exciting range of beverages including
Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Light, Sprite, Fanta Orange, Fanta Portello, Fanta Cream
Soda, Lion Soda, Lion Tonic Water, Lion Gingerale, Lion Ginger Beer, Schweppes
Tonic Water, Minute Maid Orange, Minute Maid Mango and Minute Maid Apple. The
Coca-Cola system in Sri Lanka employs more than 400 people. Coca-Cola
undertakes a number of community development and sustainability projects like
the Coca-Cola Cricket Pathways to promote healthy active living, and identify
grassroots cricketing talent. It also undertakes sanitation and clean drinking
water projects in partnership with organizations like UNDP, Habitat for
Humanity,