All soft drink and water bottles sold at ‘Ploughing 2019’ will contain at least 50% recycled plastic, the National Ploughing Association (NPA) and Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (HBC) Ireland have revealed.
Coca-Cola HBC recently announced that it now bottles its Deep RiverRock water range using 100% recycled PET (plastic) and integrates 50% recycled plastic into all its 500ml soft drink bottles.
The National Ploughing Championships will be the first national event to see the roll-out of these new packs made from recycled PET.
Recycled PET bottles are also one of the lowest carbon-dense packaging types to produce within the beverage sector.
Commenting, Anna May McHugh, NPA managing director, said: “This announcement is incredibly fitting given that sustainability is a key theme for this year’s ‘Ploughing’.
“This year, the NPA in partnership with Carlow County Council, the Southern Regional Waste Management Office and AES have agreed a segregated waste collection for the Ploughing Championships 2019.
The ploughing community will now be presented with a three-bin system including: food waste (which will be converted into electricity by an anaerobic digester); mixed dry recyclables; and general waste.
“Watch out for the clear signage in our catering areas and have a chat with the ‘Green Bin angels’ who will be on-hand to give you advice and help you dispose of your waste in the right place.
“Our catering partners are ensuring that as much as possible of their single use items are made from compostable materials and are also offering a 50 cent ‘reusable cup discount’ on all teas and coffees.”
In addition to including recycling messages across all its packs, Coca-Cola HBC will further support the National Ploughing Championship with recycling infrastructure at key selling points on site.