Nestle, Every Bottle Back TT partner to reduce carbon footprint

AS PART of Nestle’s commitment to reduce its carbon footprint, it has partnered with Every Bottle Back TT (EBBTT) to recycle Tetra Pak packaging – cartons and milk/juice boxes. This will also reduce the amount of waste that ends up in the landfill.

In a release, Nestle said the partnership was launched in March through a joint memorandum of understanding between EBBTT and Nestle, and from April EBBTT will accept Tetra Pak packaging.

EBBTT was launched last May in collaboration with Blue Waters Products Ltd, Caribbean Bottlers TT and Republic Bank Ltd to boost recycling awareness and reuse of packaging materials.

Nestle is a corporate sponsor of EBTT and has awarded it $340,000 in support of creating a viable circular economy. Since EBBTT’s inception on May 26 last year, almost three million bottles have been collected for recycling.

Josué de la Maza, Nestle’s market head of the Anglo Dutch Caribbean region, said, “We recognise that we must do our part in driving widespread recycling of our packaging material and thereby creating a more sustainable planet. Therefore, we are investing in the EBBTT Initiative to cover costs associated with the collection of Tetra Pak containers.

"It is our hope that one day, the knowledge and partnerships forged through this project and similar endeavours will eventually build bridges to new business enterprises and lead to a more eco-friendly environment for the country.”

General manager of EBBTT Stuart Cozier said, “When we launched last year, we were hoping to move beyond the pilot phase for Port of Spain, and since its inception over nine months ago, we have collected almost three million plastic bottles, which shows that this is something that the population is excited about.

"Now that we have included Tetra Pak as another layer of collection to this initiative, we are hoping that we can expand the range of materials collected just as strongly as we did with the plastic bottles.

"Nestle joining us on this journey supports the development of a more inclusive sustainability agenda to help save our planet. We believe that it is part of the broader responsibility of businesses, NGOs, and the government to tackle the widespread global issue of waste reduction and reuse.”

It should also be noted that there is a draft Beverage Container Bill from 1999 which was amended in 2012 and was brought to the forefront following the many videos of piles of garbage surfacing after tropical storm Karen's passage in 2019

It seeks to provide for the establishment of a beverage containers advisory board, a deposit and refund system for prescribed sizes of the beverage containers and to incorporate other administrative and fiscal measures to encourage the reuse and recycling of beverage containers.

The Bill will allow for wholesalers or retailers of beverage containers to collect a deposit for the item from the consumer which would be tax-exempt. The customer would then be able to return the bottle and claim their deposit, either payable immediately in cash, as a set-off against another purchase, or via cheque.

Under the amended Bill, manufacturers who refuse or fail to collect empty containers are liable to a fine of $5,000 for each day the containers remain uncollected. Manufacturers must dispose of empty containers in accordance with regulations – failure to do so could result in a fine of $500,000, or up to one-year imprisonment and anyone trying to get refunds on containers that have already been refunded, can be fined $100 per container.

The public is invited to return Tetra Pak packaging – cartons or milk/juice boxes – at EBBTT’s Collection Centre at 40 Charlotte Street, Port of Spain.

EBBTT also has 200 eco bins. More information on these can be found at www.everybottlebacktt.com and on Facebook and Instagram @everybottlebacktt.