How You Can Reap The Rewards of Recycling This Summer

This post was created in collaboration with Coca-Cola and Merlin

Landfills, marine litter, and for the LOVE OF GOD WE MUST SAVE THE TURTLES! If 2018 has brought us one thing, it’s been a serious discussion and greater awareness around plastics and our consumption of them. Mindlessly consuming and disposing of them has been going on for ages – clearly, that’s why we’re in this predicament! – but it seems that it’s this year we, as consumers, have really opened our eyes to the damage that’s being done and are making changes.

If I’m entirely honest, I do get mad when everyday people are held completely accountable for the issues that come with single-use plastic and recycling, as the onus isn’t entirely on us  – but we can make a huge difference and by making cleaner, more eco-friendly choices, we can help serve this planet better than we have done before, along with working side by side with larger corporations making cleaner choices. We absolutely can’t be perfect but we can try make changes. It’s something that really hit home for me at the start of the year – the packaging I’m throwing out, the way that I do it, and how much I consume in general – and I’ve really been working on ways to combat it.

But say you’re out for the day… it’s warm, you want a refreshing drink of Coca-Cola so girl, you go get yourself one! But how do you get rid? Throw in the bin? Oh NO. Like I said, think of the turtles! Pop it in your bag, and save it until you find a recycling point.

Now there’s a bonus for helping save the planet – one that’s arguably even more rewarding than the gleaming conscience that comes with doing a good deed. Coca-Cola have teamed up with Merlin for a summer recycling initiative where you can get 50% off the UK’s best attractions and theme parks simply by recycling your plastic bottle in the specially-designed reversed recycle vending machines. Currently installed at four of Merlin’s attractions – Thorpe Park, Alton Towers, Legoland and Chessington World of Adventures – Coca-Cola is encouraging people to recycle more plastic bottles on-the-go as part of their sustainable packaging initiative and global goal to collect and recycle a bottle or can for everyone it sells by 2030 – you can take a look at what else they’re doing to aid sustainability here. 

So What Do You Need To Know?

• Any 500ml plastic bottle can be recycled in the machine – regardless of brand – yep, it doesn’t even have the be Coca-Cola!
• Although the recycling machines are only at 4 attractions, the 50% discount generated can be used at over 30 Merlin attractions – yay, perfect for planning your next day out. 
• People can put as many bottles into the machines as they wish (there is no limit). E.g. you can claim 20 discounts for 20 bottles you recycle – the limit does not exist! The limit does not exist!! So BYOB babe! (Bring your own bottle… to recycle…)
• Coca-Cola is offering this special offer from the 25 July until 19 October 2018 – so there’s still plenty of time to enjoy the fun. 

Like I said, the onus isn’t totally on us, but alongside all of the big corps we can work together to make the world better – and get rewarded with great days out whilst doing it!