Coca-Cola Beverages Florida and The Coca-Cola Company Partner with University of Miami to Increase Recycling

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On Monday, November 15^th, America Recycles Day, Coca-Cola Beverages Florida (Coke Florida) and The Coca-Cola Company partnered to launch a new Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) in the Hurricane Food Court at the University of Miami.

The University of Miami has joined a growing list of organizations that have integrated reverse vending technology into their environmental and sustainability programs. Reverse vending is a recyclables recovery process by which plastic bottles and aluminum cans are deposited into a unit, the materials are crushed and sorted by type, then collected, treated, and prepared for reuse. For Coke Florida, specifically, the materials will be used to produce new beverage packaging at local facilities. This process ultimately reduces carbon emissions across the supply chain and supports The Coca-Cola Company’s World Without Waste initiative to recycle a bottle or can for every one sold by 2030.

“As the local Florida Coca-Cola bottler, we are committed to sustainability and supporting our customers and community partners seeking to expand upon their existing recycling programs,” said Erin Black, Vice President, Sustainability and Risk Management for Coke Florida. “That’s why on America Recycles Day, we were extremely excited to partner with The Coca-Cola Company to launch our first RVM placement with the University of Miami. This is one of the many sustainability programs we deploy in communities across our network.”

Alpa Sutaria, General Manager, Sustainability, for The Coca-Cola Company’s North America Operating Unit added, “We are proud to partner with our local bottler to bring Reverse Vending Machine technology to life and reward communities committed to sustainability through efforts that increase recycling and help us reach our World Without Waste goals.”

When students, faculty, and staff participate in this recycling process, it not only contributes to lessening of the University’s environmental footprint, but it also is rewarded by the Coca-Cola system.

For each plastic bottle or aluminum can collected through the machine, 5 cents (up to $5,000), will be donated by The Coca-Cola Company to the University of Miami Marine Science Graduate Student Organization (MSGSO) sustainability initiative. The University’s MSGSO focuses on environmental awareness and outreach activities that help strengthen the intersection of science and sustainability, on campus and in the community.

“The incredible efforts that Coca-Cola Beverages Florida and UM Dining Services have deployed to bring this Reverse Vending Machine to our campus will have multiple benefits,” said Teddy Lhoutellier, Sustainability Manager, University of Miami. “We are now able to provide a solution to recycle cans and bottles in an efficient manner, and by doing so, we are helping our own green student organizations. Students get it—they started collecting more than 30 bags of recyclables during the Homecoming tailgate, and they brought several more by to recycle in the RVM.”

America Recycles Day, observed on November 15^th each year, was established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and demonstrates the positive impacts of recycling on our environment and serves as a reminder for Coke Florida’s 20 million consumers to actively recycle year-round.

About Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, LLC
Coca-Cola Beverages Florida, LLC (Coke Florida) is a family-owned independent Coca-Cola bottler. Coke Florida has an exclusive sales and distribution territory that covers over 20 million consumers across 47 Florida counties, and includes the major metropolitan markets of Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa. Coke Florida markets, sells, manufactures, distributes, and merchandises over 600 products of The Coca-Cola Company and other partner companies. The company is the third largest privately held and the sixth largest independent Coca-Cola bottler in the United States. The company is also one of the largest Black-owned businesses in the United States. Coke Florida was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida. To learn more, visit www.cocacolaflorida.com.

About University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private research university and academic health system with a distinct geographic capacity to connect institutions, individuals, and ideas across the hemisphere and around the world. The University’s vibrant and diverse academic community comprises 12 schools and colleges serving more than 17,000 undergraduate and graduate students in more than 180 majors and programs. Located within one of the most dynamic and multicultural cities in the world, the University is building new bridges across geographic, cultural, and intellectual borders, bringing a passion for scholarly excellence, a spirit of innovation, a respect for including and elevating diverse voices, and a commitment to tackling the challenges facing our world.