Each can is worth

The Marine Parks Authority of Calabria, CIAL and Coca-Cola together for the collection of beverage cans on the bathing beaches of the Calabrian coasts.

Catanzaro, 19 July 2021 – It is called "In the Calabria marine parks... every can is worth" the initiative that sees the collaboration between the Regional Marine Parks of Calabria (EPMR), CIAL - National Consortium of Aluminum Packaging and Coca-Cola and which involves 11 municipalities* in the Calabrian Marine Parks area. 

Equipped with special backpacks, in the months of July and August, the animators of the project will move along the beaches, streets and squares of the identified locations with the dual objective of recovering empty beverage cans, stimulating consumers to keep outdoor public spaces clean, and raising awareness among residents and tourists on the importance of the circular economy and promoting good practices for proper waste disposal.

But that's not all, on the beaches (about 100 in total) small ecological islands will be placed with collectors dedicated to the separate collection of cans, marked by a personalized sail so that bathers can recognize the areas accredited to the project.

Aluminium is a permanent material, 100% recyclable and infinitely, being able to preserve its properties forever. If well separated at home and subsequently selected, it can be easily transformed into new aluminum ready to be recycled to give new life, at particularly low environmental costs, to numerous long-lasting products.

An example: the cans collected on the Calabrian beaches in the two months of activity will be used to create some Riciclette (the now iconic citybikes made with the equivalent of 800 cans for recycled drinks) which will be donated by CIAL, Coca-Cola and the Regional Marine Parks Authority to the municipalities involved to implement their projects related to sustainable mobility. 

"The Calabria Regional Marine Parks Authority - declares  Ilario Treccosti, Extraordinary Commissioner of the EPMR - was established in 2018 to protect and enhance the extraordinary biodiversity of Calabria's marine and coastal environments, a treasure trove of biodiversity to be guarded and preserved for future generations. In a fruitful teamwork with the Municipalities of the Park - which include the Blue Flags 2021 Praia a Mare, Diamante, Tropea and Soverato - a series of initiatives have been launched, including the campaign "In the marine parks Calabria... every can is worth it".

For the protection and enhancement of the sea of Calabria, the Commissioner hopes that the collaboration with CIAL and Coca-Cola, which arose as part of this campaign, can be extended to other significant environmental education initiatives. 

"Since its establishment, for over twenty years, CIAL has been acting on two fronts. On the one hand, it brings together the protagonists of the entire industrial supply chain, stimulating sustainable development of the sector and on the other hand, it promotes initiatives throughout the country aimed at raising awareness among citizens on the importance of separate collection and recycling of aluminium packaging, a precious raw material, whose revalorisation guarantees undisputed economic, social and environmental benefits. It is extraordinarily satisfying for us when, as in this case, we are able to cooperate with other realities capable of grasping the full value of our mission. In this project we have really teamed up with an institution created to protect a cross-section of infinite beauty of our national territory and with one of the most important and well-known brands in the world," says Giuseppina Carnimeo, CIAL General Manager. 

"We are proud to be able to carry out this initiative with the Marine Parks Authority and CIAL because it allows us to make our commitment in terms of circular economy more and more concrete" - says Giangiacomo Pierini, Director of Institutional Affairs and Communication of Coca-Cola HBC Italia - "In the last ten years we have managed to reduce the aluminum we use in our cans by 15% but everyone's contribution is essential to recycle this packaging correctly and not disperse it in the environment, because it can become a can again and find a new life"

The results of the campaign "In the marine parks Calabria... every can is worth" will be announced during the "European Sustainable Mobility Week" held every year from 16 to 22 September.  

EVERY CAN COUNTS - OGNI LATTINA VALE 

The "Every Can Counts" initiative, active in Italy since 2019, is part of the much larger European project "Every Can Counts" which to date brings together 19 European countries with the aim of implementing and promoting the collection of aluminum cans in places other than home such as parks and beaches, tourist resorts, and also for example during major sporting and cultural events. 

In Italy, the project is coordinated by CIAL to strengthen the separate collection of aluminium, a flagship for our country where about 70% of packaging made with this material is recovered every year. In the last two years, despite the health emergency, Ogni Lattina Vale has already been promoted on several occasions, such as during the Misano Moto GP, the Viareggio Carnival, the Giffoni Children's Film Festival and, last summer, on the beaches of Soverato, an experience that gave the input to involve other municipalities in the territory of the Calabrian Marine Parks this year. 

*The municipalities involved in the initiative: Praia a Mare (CS) - Diamante (CS) - Belmonte Calabro (CS) - Vibo Valentia - Briatico (VV) - Zambrone (VV) - Parghelia (VV) - Tropea (VV) - Brancaleone (RC) - Bianco (RC) - Soverato (CZ).