Coca-Cola needs to recycle its way around Santa’s Kingdom
According to the advertising we were just some of 130,000 people to visit this year. Coca-Cola, the sponsors, had a large advertising banner outside the venue. There was subtle product placement throughout and Coca-Cola’s products were the sole soft-drinks available inside the venue.
But what was surprising and disappointing was that the organisers hadn’t provided recycling bins.
On the day that we were there, at least half of those present were consuming some of the various Coca-Cola products on sale, from plastic (PET) bottles. These can be recycled.
I know this because the label on the bottle I purchased bears the recycling and PET symbols, and even urged me to ‘please recycle’.
We brought our bottles home and have since deposited them in the recycling bins in our local ‘Bring Centre’, but the vast majority were simply deposited in large bins with all of the other waste. If an average of 50% of the anticipated 130,000 visitors purchased these drinks, up to 65,000 recyclable plastic bottles would needlessly go to landfill.
Coca-Cola may argue that they were not the organisers of the event, merely sponsors. But that sponsorship gave them the right to indulge in some product placement.
A number of the iconic contour Coke bottles were strategically placed throughout ‘Santa’s Kingdom’. So I’m sure they could have asked that recycling bins be provided for their waste packaging.
Shame on ‘Santa’s Kingdom’ and Coca-Cola. Don’t they know the planet isn’t just for Christmas?
Noel Prunty.
22, Castleview,
Artane,
Dublin 5.
