Dive Brief:
- Coca-Cola Co. announced it will close its recycling division, opting instead to work with outside suppliers for recyclables.
- The Atlanta-based giant plans to make its packaging more sustainable and increase the recycled content used for its packaging.
- The soft drink company’s recycling division was established in 2007.
Dive Insight:
Coca-Cola has invested in a PET recycling facility in Spartanburg, SC. But the plant experienced operational woes after opening in 2009, shutting down for half of 2011. It was also reported as idle by a local news source earlier this year.
Sheree Robinson, a spokesperson for the soft drink company, said the decision to step away from the plant was independent of the most recent move to end operations at Coca-Cola Recycling. She mentioned that the recycling division will most likely be closed by the end of the year.