Coca-Cola tackled plastic waste at Sri Lanka's largest cultural celebration.
During this year's exposition of the Sacred Tooth Relic, a major religious and cultural event held in Kandy for the first time in 16 years, Coca-Cola launched a large-scale plastic waste collection program, according to Ada Derana Business. The initiative, called Manugunadam Yatra, is part of its Give Back Life campaign and aligns with Coca-Cola's global World Without Waste goals.
Held for 10 days in April, the event attracted thousands of pilgrims. With that many people in one place, trash piles up fast. So, Coca-Cola stepped in to help reduce pollution and long-term environmental damage.
Working alongside local partners such as Lumala, Neptune Recyclers, Amila Plastics, and Janathakshan, the company set up dedicated polyethylene terephthalate plastic collection bins throughout the temple area. To cover densely packed areas quickly, teams used electric bikes to collect bottles and other plastic waste.
According to The Island, more than three metric tons of PET plastic were collected. That's over 6,600 pounds of waste kept out of landfills and public spaces — and headed for recycling centers instead.
Awareness campaigns ran alongside the cleanup effort, encouraging attendees to recycle and use collection points. This helped engage the community and kept plastic off the ground during one of Sri Lanka's most sacred gatherings.
This isn't Coca-Cola's first attempt to make good on its environmental promises. The company made news for switching to cardboard packaging at Liberty Coca-Cola in the United States. But it still has a long way to go. Coca-Cola has often been named the world's leading producer of branded plastic waste.
That said, initiatives such as Manugunadam Yatra help keep public spaces cleaner and push communities toward better recycling habits. They also support a more circular economy by giving plastic waste a second life.
On June 5, Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka unveiled a PET plastic recycling initiative.
In a statement, Managing Director Pradip Pandey said: "This partnership with the Sri Lankan Parliament signifies our deep-rooted commitment to sustainability and our aspiration to lead by example. We are humbled by the opportunity to collaborate with such esteemed institutions and look forward to advancing our shared goals for a cleaner, greener future."
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