Cash-strapped students in Scotland will soon be able to put some extra money in their pockets by doing right by the environment.
As part of a pilot program being initiated by a partnership between Coca-Cola Europacific Partners and Keep Scotland Beautiful, an environmental nonprofit, students at New College Lanarkshire will receive a financial reward in exchange for recycling their aluminum cans and plastic bottles at reverse vending machines, according to The Manufacturer.
Under the temporary program, students at the college’s Motherwell, Coatbridge, and Cumbernauld campuses near Glasgow will receive a 20 pence ($0.27) credit for each eligible item recycled. The credits will be redeemable at school canteens.
The program is intended to encourage students to recycle rather than throw away their empty cans and bottles in the trash.
“Giving students the chance to live with a Deposit Return Scheme — something that will soon be part of everyday life — will allow us to see firsthand how people interact with RVMs in reality,” said Jo Padwick of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Great Britain, using the acronym for reverse vending machines, according to The Manufacturer.
“Hearing directly from students over four weeks will give us honest, human insight into both the practical and behavioural barriers to adoption, as well as what really motivates them to take part,” Padwick continued.
Providing financial incentives for recycling used plastic and glass bottles and aluminum cans has been successful elsewhere. According to a 2023 report by Ball Packaging and Eunomia, in the U.S., nine of the top 10 states with the highest recycling rates provide a recycling refund. By contrast, of the 10 states with the lowest recycling rates, none offer a financial incentive.
Data has shown that the programs that have had the most success in increasing recycling rates are so-called deposit return systems. Under these systems, a customer pays a small surcharge on each eligible container at the time of purchase, which is then refunded when the container is later returned to an eligible recycling facility or reverse vending machine.
Providing monetary incentives to encourage increased recycling rates is not just a good idea for the environment. It also makes financial sense.
“If a national best-in-class DRS were introduced today in the U.S., an estimated 447 billion units of beverage containers could be captured instead of lost,” according to Resource Recycling Magazine. “Recycling these 447 billion containers could generate nearly 31 million tonnes (33.77 million tons) of material for reuse, valued at approximately $5.5 billion.”
Further, recycling those containers would generate 34.1 million tons less heat-trapping pollution than producing new containers. That is the equivalent of saving 3.5 billion gallons of gasoline, according to Resource Recycling Magazine.
The pilot program at college campuses in Scotland is an important step for Coca-Cola, the world’s No. 1 producer of branded plastic waste.
Despite Coca-Cola’s mixed record on environmental issues, introducing paid incentives to increase recycling rates would be a win-win for the environment and the company’s bottom line.
To help make a difference, you can make sure to recycle your eligible containers, whether or not your area offers an incentive program. Further, you can support brands that engage in eco-friendly initiatives, using your power as a consumer to encourage more environmentally sustainable practices.
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