AUSTRALIA – Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) has announced that it has produced Australia’s first 100% recycled plastic bottle for carbonated beverages in a move towards sustainable packaging.

This follows successful launch of 100% recycled plastic packaging for instill beverages, delivering on its commitment to increase recycled content and make all of its bottles and cans recyclable.

By the end of 2019, all of the company’s single-serve plastic bottles would be made of fully recycled materials, said CCA.

“This switch to 100% recycled materials for carbonated beverages is an Australian first, and a real credit to our technical team,” said Group Managing Director Alison Watkins.

“We think every beverage container should be recycled and live again, not become waste in our marine and land environment.

“But pressure inside a soft drink bottle is up to100 psi, or three times the pressure in a car tyre.

“So the bottle for carbonated drinks needs to be much stronger than for still beverages, and that’s been an obstacle in using 100% recycled materials for these types of drinks.”

According to her, increased use of recycled materials in bottling is driven by community and commercial pressure and this could be overcome through innovation and design.

The new achievement in plastic recycling supports The Coca-Cola Company’s commitment to secure a ‘World Without Waste’ by helping collect and recycle each and every bottle it produces.

Coca-Cola Australia and Coca-Cola Amatil have jointly announced major increase in recycled plastic as they target to make 70% of its plastic bottles entirely from recycled plastic by the end of 2019.

Coca-Cola Amatil said this will reduce its use of virgin plastic by around 10,000 tonnes a year.

The company in January said it would cease distribution of single-use plastic drinking straws or stirrers in Australia, and in the stead use fully recyclable and biodegradable paper straws.

It has also partnered with Keep Australia Beautiful to target litter hotspots nationwide.