Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) Australia has taken a pioneering step in advancing Australia’s circular economy, unveiling the first consumer-facing Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) ever installed on a CCEP site globally.
The milestone installation, located at the company’s Moorabbin production site in Victoria, was officially launched on 5 November in partnership with Return-It, the east zone network operator for Victoria’s Container Deposit Scheme (CDS VIC). The initiative is designed to make recycling more visible and convenient for both employees and the surrounding community – and marks the beginning of a national rollout of RVMs across CCEP’s manufacturing network.
Speaking at the event, CCEP Australia managing director Orlando Rodriguez said the launch signalled the company’s ongoing commitment to accessibility and circularity.
“This is the first ever Reverse Vending Machine installed on a CCEP site, not only within Australia, but worldwide,” he told guests. “It’s small, but it’s symbolic – and it represents how we can help create an ease of infrastructure that allows Australians to do the right thing.”
Rodriguez emphasised that while container deposit schemes have made strong progress in collecting beverage containers consumed at home, the next major challenge lies in improving away-from-home recovery rates.
“After 50 years of effort, about two-thirds of what’s produced in Australia is collected. The other third still goes to landfill, and that’s not through a lack of effort – it’s about infrastructure and accessibility,” he said. “We need simplistic, convenient solutions that make it easier for people to recycle when they’re away from home.”
Highlighting Australia’s collection point gap compared to global leaders, Rodriguez added: “On average, we have about one of these [RVMs] for every 15,000 Australians. In Scandinavia, it’s one for every 350 to 400 people. So, in a much larger land mass like ours, we need to think creatively about how to scale up access.”
Following Moorabbin, the next RVM will be installed at Northmead (NSW), with further rollouts planned at CCEP’s Richlands (QLD) and Kewdale (WA) sites.
Industry-wide collaboration
Also speaking at the event, Geoff Parker, CEO of the Australian Beverages Council, praised the partnership between CCEP and Return-It as an example of industry leadership in action.
“At the Beverages Council, we know the key drivers to increasing container return rates are not about raising the deposit amount – it’s about access and convenience,” he said. “That’s exactly what RVMs like this deliver.”
Parker said that as container deposit schemes mature, industry, government and communities must continue to collaborate on “real-world, evidence-based solutions” to improve participation and streamline infrastructure rollout.
“We need an increase in away-from-home and on-the-go return points, including workplaces like this,” he said. “We also need more streamlined approval processes for RVMs, and greater recovery rates in high-rise buildings, public spaces and high-traffic areas. When we work together, we can always achieve more.”
Acknowledging the scheme’s rapid progress, Parker noted that Victoria’s CDS had already collected more than two billion containers in its first two years, calling the Moorabbin launch “a strong sign of where the next billion will come from.”
Skin in the game
Return-It CEO Marc Churchin described the new installation as one of the company’s “premier” RVM sites, both in design and in its collaborative approach.
“It’s almost a beacon,” he said. “Across our networks nationally, this would be one of our flagship installations. It looks fantastic, and it’s going to be a great success.”
Churchin commended CCEP for taking what he described as “real skin in the game” by extending its circular economy commitment from product to infrastructure.
“Coca-Cola Europacific Partners have always been strong supporters of container deposit schemes, but by transforming their own sites into collection points, they’re deepening that commitment and showing leadership by example,” he said.
He also highlighted the broader social impact of container deposit schemes, beyond their environmental role.
“It’s way more than a litter reduction program,” Churchin said. “It creates opportunities for charities, community groups and even individuals doing it tough – it spreads benefit right across our economy. And it’s encouraged the building of local recycling facilities that simply wouldn’t have existed without this framework.”
Churchin noted that schemes like CDS have been instrumental in driving domestic investment in reprocessing capacity, referencing the Circular Plastics Australia (PET) facilities co-owned by CCEP, Pact Group, Cleanaway and Asahi Beverages.
“These are world-class plants that can process the equivalent of up to two billion bottles a year – and they exist because industry and regulators worked together,” he said. “Container deposit schemes are the most successful product responsibility model globally, and we should use that success as a blueprint for tackling other waste streams.”
Closing the loop
The RVM rollout forms part of CCEP’s This is Forward sustainability action plan, which embeds circular economy principles across its operations. The company has been a founding partner and advocate for container deposit schemes in Australia for nearly five decades.
Rodriguez said initiatives like the Moorabbin installation reflect a broader intent to “close the loop” on beverage packaging.
“We want to ensure every container we sell is collected, recycled and reused,” he said. “By installing RVMs at our own sites, we’re making recycling part of everyday life – both for our people and for the communities that have supported us for more than 65 years.”
As Australia moves to strengthen producer responsibility and boost access to convenient recycling points, CCEP’s world-first RVM initiative demonstrates how industry leadership, practical collaboration and local investment can come together to accelerate circular outcomes.
