Contact: Sheldon Smith
Phone: 336-373-4379

City & Coca-Cola Team Up to Promote Recycling Plastic Bottles

GREENSBORO, NC – (October 12, 2009) – The City of Greensboro teams up with Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Coca-Cola Recycling, and the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Tuesday, October 13, in downtown Greensboro to promote the importance of recycling plastic beverage bottles. Mayor Yvonne Johnson and City and State officials will host a news conference on the Governmental Plaza on Greene Street beginning at 12 noon to explain the new North Carolina ban that prohibits disposal of plastic bottles in landfills.

A Coca-Cola Recycling Education Vehicle (REV) will be available from 12 noon to 1:30 pm to provide attendees with a hands-on recycling experience. The REV features a video that shows how plastic is recycled and the variety of products that can be made with plastic. Individuals can play recycling trivia and compete for prizes made from recycled materials. The display also includes a string of 100 plastic bottles depicting how many plastic bottles are disposed of per second in North Carolina.

“As the local Coca-Cola Bottler, Coca-Cola Consolidated is proud to bring this interactive and exciting educational vehicle to Greensboro,” said Lauren Steele, vice president corporate affairs, Coca-Cola Bottling Company Consolidated. “We want to make recycling a rewarding experience and therefore we want to encourage people to learn about its many benefits.”

Soft drink bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate, commonly known as PET. PET is the most widely recycled type of plastic and can be used to make products including carpet, apparel, fiberfill stuffing and new plastic bottles.

The statewide plastic bottle ban went into effect on October 1. The goal of the ban is to improve plastic recycling efforts. Greensboro residents are encouraged to increase their recycling efforts in order to help the plastic bottle disposal ban succeed. Plastic bottles should be placed in the 96-gallon brown recycling container or taken to any one of the 17 recycling drop-off sites located throughout the city.

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The City of Greensboro works in partnership with the community to build an increased quality of life for all residents by fostering an environment where inclusion, diversity, and trust are valued. As the seventh largest employer in Greensboro, the City has a dedicated professional staff of 2700 employees who maintain four core values of honesty, integrity, stewardship, and respect. The City of Greensboro is governed by a council-manager form of government where a mayor and eight council members act as the legislative body. For more information on the City of Greensboro, please visit us online at www.greensboro-nc.gov.