Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc. (CCBPI)—the bottling arm of Coca-Cola in the country—is accelerating its plastic bottle collection program “Tapon to Ipon: Basta Klaro, Panalo” to benefit more communities nationwide. Through Tapon to Ipon, clear beverage plastic bottles made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET)—material that is 100% recyclable—are collected to be given new life through PETValue Philippines, the country’s first bottle-to-bottle recycling facility.
Through Tapon to Ipon, CCBPI hopes to change the mindset about packaging recyclability—because clear used PET plastic bottles usually get thrown away after use (tapon), their potential wasted. In sari-sari store collection hubs first launched in Batangas City and the City of Manila, used PET plastic bottles are being collected and exchanged by community members for incentives (ipon).
Basta Klaro, Panalo!
All Tapon to Ipon collection hubs are accepting all types of clear post-consumer PET plastic beverage bottles– regardless of brand —thus the tagline Basta Klaro, Panalo! Underscoring that clear plastic bottles chart higher in recyclability compared to colored ones.
“Through Tapon to Ipon, we want to raise awareness about recycling and we want to do our part in ensuring that plastic packaging materials that are 100% recyclable are collected and used again,” says Gareth McGeown, CEO and President of CCBPI. “At the same time, we’re starting a movement within local communities— World Without Waste is a collective movement and the contribution of every single individual is valuable.”
World Without Waste is Coca-Cola’s global goal to collect and recycle 100% of the bottles and cans it sells by 2030—a campaign now finding a pillar in Tapon to Ipon and its ability to enjoin every stakeholder within and beyond the Coca-Cola ecosystem in taking part.
Sari-sari stores as plastic bottle collection hubs
Tapon to Ipon leverages Coca-Cola’s extensive network to collect post-consumer plastic bottles: trade outlets such as sari-sari stores and wholesalers are being tapped to stand as collection hubs. These outlets—which often double as community landmarks, and who help bring Coca-Cola products closer to Filipino homes—are now also hubs through which plastic packaging gets collected for recycling.
To encourage store owners to participate, Coca-Cola developed an incentive-based strategy that would provide SMEs additional income on top of their sari-sari store business. Consumers also benefit from the program as they receive Coca-Cola products in exchange for the used plastic bottles that they will turn over at the Tapon to Ipon sari-sari store hubs.
“Nagustuhan po namin ang Tapon to Ipon dahil sa incentives na nakukuha namin. Nakakatuwa dahil nakakatulong din po kami sa kalinisan ng kapaligiran. Ang mga plastik na bote na nasa estero at kalsada, ngayon po dinadala dito sa tindahan para ipalit ng Coke Mismo (We appreciate Tapon to Ipon because of the incentives that we get. We enjoy how we are also able to help the environment. The plastic bottles that used to be in drainage canals and streets are now being brought to our store to be exchanged for Coke Mismo),” says Ace of Saunder’s, a Tapon to Ipon Collection Hub in Batangas.
“Ipagpapatuloy namin ang Tapon to Ipon dahil natutunan ng mga tao ipunin at ihiwalay ang plastik bottles para ipalit sa libreng Coke. Nagkaroon ng halaga ang basura na dating nasa isang tabi lang (We will continue to take part in Tapon to Ipon because people are learning how to collect and segregate plastic bottles in exchange for free Coke. Wastes that used to be scattered are now given value),” shares Leonor from Bigasan sa Hilltop, also a hub in Batangas.
CCBPI has also been organizing awareness activities in different barangays, to familiarize more communities about its collection program and about the inherent recyclability of clear PET packaging. Such initiatives include one-day barangay events, setting up in barangay halls or basketball courts to enjoin participation in Tapon to Ipon.
The program was first launched in October 2021 in Batangas City, where Coca-Cola’s partner store hubs have been collecting a total of around 300kgs of clear plastic bottles a week on average. The success of this pilot rollout has shown immense potential as a sustainable reverse route to a market model for post-consumer plastic bottle collection.
Following its successful pilot in Batangas City, Tapon to Ipon was launched in the City of Manila City in February 2022—and is set to be expanded across the country in the coming months.
“We are grateful for the support of all our partners—LGUs and barangay officials who have welcomed us into their communities—in making the pilot launch of Tapon to Ipon a success,” says McGeown. “We are very excited about expanding the reach of the program, further spreading its positive impact on communities, and accelerating the benefits of sustainability.”
Tapon to Ipon via Happiness On Demand delivery
In addition to collecting plastic bottles through sari-sari stores and wholesalers, Tapon to Ipon: Baskta Klaro, Panalo was also launched via CCBPI’s Happiness on Demand (HOD) home delivery service. HOD customers in Las Pinas, Parañaque, Alabang, and Bonifacio Global City can turn over clear plastic bottles to the Coca-Cola HOD team upon delivery of their orders.
McGeown adds “We know we have the responsibility to manage our environmental footprint and to ensure a sustainable circular economy for all—and this is why at Coca-Cola, we always take action.”
In the Philippines, as part of its pursuit of a World Without Waste, Coca-Cola’s business and packaging footprint is 50% returnable glass, and all its packaging materials are 100% recyclable. Through programs like Tapon to Ipon and partnerships with various groups, Coca-Cola enjoins everyone to join the collective movement to make World Without Waste a reality.
