Coca-Cola has started installing reverse vending machines on university campuses across the United States. It all sounds super cool, right? They’ve presented it as a step toward a more sustainable future. You drop off your empty bottle, the machine collects it, then it gets recycled, and you get a small amount of money ($0.27) as a reward. They want to install them everywhere they can.
Up to that point, everything seems positive. A multinational (with a questionable environmental reputation) finally doing something to reduce waste… sounds like real change, but we’re used to being lied to, and when you scratch the surface, doubts start to appear: is this really an ecological shift… or just a greenwashing move?
The system
The goal is mainly to teach people to recycle. Through the deposit and return system, they can observe how people interact with these reverse vending machines and allow them to use the small amount they earn from recycling to spend on campus dining halls, which doesn’t sound bad.
“In the 60’s, we paid deposit for the soft drinks in glass bottles. People were very good about returning them for their deposit back. That practice should never have been discontinued. Glass needs to come back and help save us from plastic poisoning”.
Coca-Cola, the plastic giant
But let’s be honest, any multinational is a waste cannon for the planet, and Coca-Cola is no exception. For years, it has topped global plastic pollution rankings, producing more waste than several major brands combined. It produces billions of bottles every year, most of which end up in rivers, oceans, or landfills without being recycled.
That’s what makes this measure a bit controversial. Yes, these machines can make recycling easier in places where tons of bottled drinks are consumed. But let’s be honest, a few machines scattered around campuses don’t make up for decades of plastic overproduction, nor do they replace real reduction policies.
These machines are not a revolutionary invention. In European countries, they’ve been operating for years, and by law. It’s not just about machines; it’s about having laws that force companies to truly change.
Coca-Cola, however, has chosen to install its machines at universities and, at the same time, win over younger generations, a key audience for its future image. In the end, what should be a structural change becomes a marketing campaign.
The perfect showcase
And of course, choosing university campuses is no coincidence. Students are usually more environmentally conscious, participate in social movements, and have an increasingly influential voice.
But maybe Coca-Cola hasn’t thought about the fact that no one wants to clean up its image. People want real alternatives, not to feel like they’re doing the work for big corporations.
Recycle more or produce less
Recycling is good, of course it helps, but it’s not the solution that many companies try to sell. The only real way to stop plastic pollution is to produce less plastic from the start, invest in reuse, or create durable packaging.
Until that happens, these initiatives will remain little more than gestures and will be largely insufficient. It also doesn’t seem like they’re accompanied by real changes in production and consumption, so the actual impact will likely be minimal.
Coca-Cola, wake up
“Every manufacturer of consumer containers should have a workable recycling plan before they are used for the consumers” said an user.
This is not a big step forward. We don’t want “green” machines; we want the business model to improve and evolve. Recycling without reducing is not the milestone they think it is, and we don’t want to be the ones to clean up the image of a multinational that clearly doesn’t truly care about the environment. We need real structural change, not strategically placed machines to generate good press.