As urban communities face growing waste management challenges, collection infrastructure plays a more critical role in keeping recyclable materials within the recycling loop.
Across Metro Manila, Coca-Cola Europacific Aboitiz Philippines (CCEAP), the bottling arm and official distributor of Coca-Cola products in the country, has been supporting local government units (LGUs) and community partners in strengthening PET bottle recovery and waste diversion efforts through infrastructure support and long-term collaboration.
Through partnerships with the cities of Manila, Pasig, Valenzuela, Quezon City, and Caloocan, CCEAP has provided baling machines and collection bins to help improve PET bottle recovery at the local level. Baling machines compress collected PET bottles into compact bales, reducing storage requirements and improving transport efficiency. This enables partner communities to recover and move more recyclable materials while helping divert valuable resources away from landfills and the environment.
These initiatives contribute to CCEAP’s broader commitment to supporting community-based recycling systems and advancing PET bottle circularity in the Philippines.
“Effective recovery and recycling systems are built through collaboration. By working with local governments and community partners, we can make PET bottle collection more efficient and accessible where it matters most. These partnerships help ensure that more plastic packaging is collected, recovered, and returned to the recycling value chain,” says Atty. Juan Lorenzo Tañada, VP for Corporate & Regulatory Affairs of Coca-Cola Europacific Aboitiz Philippines (CCEAP).
Baling machine supporting the City Government of Manila’s Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) located in the Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden.
The City Government of Manila was among the first LGUs in the region to establish a sustainability-focused partnership with CCEAP. Since then, the collaboration has helped strengthen waste management and diversion efforts at the city’s Materials Recovery Facility (MRF), enabling the more efficient processing and recovery of PET bottles, single-use plastics, aluminum cans, and other recyclable materials.
“The baling machine has significantly improved our operations and our logistics. PET bottles that were previously stored loose can now be processed into compact bales, allowing us to transport more recyclables on fewer trips,” shares Engr. John Vaughn Caoyong, Public Service Assistant at the city’s Department of Environment and Public Services (DEPS).
“Collection bins have also been deployed in high-traffic areas across the city, such as the Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden and Manila City Hall. The Tapon to Ipon program, in partnership with Coca-Cola, has enabled the city to strengthen its participation in an efficient recycling ecosystem,” adds Engr. Caoyong.
Supporting operations at Pasig City’s Innovation for Circular Economy (ICE) Hub with the donation of a baling machine.
Successful partnerships are built on a shared commitment to meaningful change. In Pasig City, this comes to life through the Innovation for Circular Economy (ICE) Hub, which advances circular economy practices while supporting local communities and MSMEs. This aligns with CCEAP’s Tapon to Ipon program, which engages sari-sari stores as collection hubs and partners in resource recovery.
“Coca-Cola was among the first to donate a baling machine to support our facility operations. The baling machine has helped improve the way we handle PET bottles and other recyclables, allowing us to process materials more efficiently. We’re able to maximize the hub’s operations in building a more circular and sustainable waste management system for our community,” says EnP. Allendri Angeles, MMEP Head, Pasig City Solid Waste Management Office and ICE Hub.
PET bottles processed and compacted into bales in the MRF of Valenzuela City.
CCEAP has also partnered with the City Government of Valenzuela to boost local PET bottle recovery and enable more scalable recycling solutions. The company recently turned over a baling machine to the Barangay Ugong MRF.
“Environmental stewardship is a shared responsibility. This partnership demonstrates how the public and private sectors can work together to strengthen waste management systems, support our environmental goals, and encourage communities to take an active role in creating a lasting positive impact. Through collective action, we can build a more sustainable and resilient Valenzuela City,” says Rachel Torres, Valenzuela CENRO Officer-in-Charge.
Enhanced recovery capacity for Palerong Manggagawa ng Payatas in Quezon City.
In Quezon City, the turnover of a baling machine has enabled collectors from Palerong Manggagawa ng Payatas to scale up their operations with an improved capacity to collect, process, and divert more recyclable materials to recovery partners.
“The baling equipment has helped us increase the volume of recyclables we can process and deliver. Before, we collected around 600 kilos every two weeks. Today, we can deliver as much as one to two tons in a week, with the bottles taking up less space and becoming easier to transport. It has helped us become more efficient and expand our recovery efforts across Quezon City,” says Mark Angelo Jacob, President of Palerong Manggagawa ng Payatas.
CCEAP has also provided two baling machines to the Caloocan City MRF as part of another partnership aimed at boosting waste management infrastructure and improving recovery processes.
These partnerships are part of the Coca-Cola system’s Tapon to Ipon initiative, a nationwide PET bottle collection program that works with communities, local governments, government agencies, micro-retailers, and other partners to make PET bottle recovery and recycling more accessible. Since its launch in 2021, the program has expanded collection networks across the country through collection hubs, awareness campaigns, and infrastructure support.
Baled PET bottles from the MRF of the Municipality of General Luna in Surigao del Norte.
Beyond Metro Manila, CCEAP has partnered with local governments across the Philippines to help institutionalize accessible and efficient collection systems and recycling infrastructure.
Key partners include the Island Garden City of Samal; the municipalities of Baganga in Davao Oriental, Malay in Aklan, San Juan in Batangas, Del Carmen and General Luna in Surigao del Norte; the cities of Koronadal, Baguio, Dumaguete, and Naga, in partnership with the CamSur Multipurpose Cooperative; the provinces of Iloilo and Palawan; and the Province of Quirino through the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP).
The goal is to keep PET bottles within the value chain and to be recycled again. For some of these communities, the collected PET bottles are diverted to PETValue Philippines, the country’s pioneering food-grade, bottle-to-bottle recycling facility. A joint venture between CCEAP and global sustainable chemicals company Indorama Ventures, PETValue transforms post-consumer PET plastic bottles into food-grade recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) that can be made into new beverage bottles, advancing PET circularity in the country.
As more communities take part in collection and recovery efforts, partnerships among local governments, community organizations, and industry stakeholders continue to demonstrate the power of collective action in creating cleaner and more sustainable communities for future generations.
, the bottling arm and official distributor of Coca-Cola products in the country, has been supporting local government units (LGUs) and community partners in strengthening PET bottle recovery and waste diversion efforts through infrastructure support and long-term collaboration.){kind=link}