Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) – The Coca-Cola Industry in Mexico has committed to an investment of 260 million pesos to build and equip 15 PetStar collection and processing facilities across the nation, with this ambitious plan set to span the entirety of 2023.
The investment includes an allocation of 97 million pesos to expand PetStar’s footprint on the Baja California peninsula. This includes a new collection facility in Tijuana, Baja California, which was inaugurated on World Recycling Day. By the conclusion of 2023, plans are in place to establish an additional collection plant in Mexicali and a collection center in La Paz.
The Tijuana facility was officially opened by Rodolfo Márquez, the General Director of Corporación del Fuerte, and Jaime Cámara, the General Director of PetStar, both being integral parts of the Mexican Coca-Cola Industry. The ceremony was attended by Marina del Pilar, Governor of Baja California, and Mónica Vega, Secretary of the Environment of Baja California.
The newly established collection plant is projected to accumulate over 543 million PET bottles by the end of 2023. These bottles will be processed at PetStar, the world’s largest food-grade PET recycling plant, helping to achieve the circular economy for its plastic containers and contribute positively to the region’s social, environmental, and economic fabric.
The facility is also expected to bolster businesses involved in the trade of recyclable materials and enhance social mobility and empowerment of approximately 4,000 waste collectors in the area.
Further facility inaugurations are slated for locations such as Pachuca, Monterrey, Puerto Vallarta, and the Yucatan Peninsula. These efforts align with the Mexican Coca-Cola Industry’s objective to collect and recycle 100% of the containers they distribute by 2030, helping to realize a world free of waste and solidifying Mexico’s status as a global leader in recycling.
By the end of 2022, Mexico had collected more than 100,000 tons of PET, equivalent to over 3.5 billion recycled PET bottles.
Jaime Cámara, PetStar’s General Director, expressed that the 260 million peso investment would help maintain Mexico’s leading position in recycling amidst the global waste generation crisis. He stressed the importance of making recycling accessible and conveying its societal value, encouraging individuals to become part of the solution.
Patricio Caso, Vice President of Public Affairs, Communication, and Sustainability of Coca-Cola Mexico, remarked that the expansion effort forms part of the Mexican Coca-Cola Industry’s circular economy strategy. The strategy rests on three pillars: ensuring 100% recyclability of packaging, collecting the equivalent of every bottle or can sold by 2030, and forging alliances to co-create waste-free solutions.
Currently, Mexico excels in waste recovery, largely due to the Mexican Coca-Cola Industry’s capacity through PetStar, the world’s largest food-grade PET recycling plant, IMER, Latin America’s first, and the upcoming Planeta (Planta Nueva Ecología de Tabasco).
Besides collection capacity, the Mexican Coca-Cola Industry’s recycling plants have positively impacted more than 1,500 SMEs involved in the trade of recyclable materials by the end of 2022. The recycling chain has also created roughly 30,000 indirect jobs for waste pickers and urban reclaimers.
Puerto Vallarta (PVDN) - The Coca-Cola Industry in Mexico has committed to an investment of 260 million pesos to build and equip 15 PetStar . . .
