Coca-Cola Europacific Aboitiz Philippines (CCEAP) has partnered with the Valenzuela City government to strengthen the collection and recycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles under the company’s Tapon to Ipon program.

The collaboration was formalized through an agreement between CCEAP and the city government, with officials from both parties present during the signing ceremony.

“Our mission is to make Valenzuela City not just an industrial city, but also a livable city. Achieving this means cleanliness and effective waste management remain our top priorities,” Valenzuela City Mayor Wes Gatchalian said.

Gatchalian said institutionalizing PET collection and recycling efforts would help strengthen the city’s recycling infrastructure and improve the sorting, recovery and transport of recyclable materials.

As part of the partnership, CCEAP donated a baling machine to the Barangay Ugong Materials Recovery Facility, which became operational earlier this year. The equipment is expected to improve the facility’s capacity to sort, consolidate, bale and store PET bottles and other recyclable materials.

“This partnership reflects our shared commitment to creating long-term solutions for the communities we serve,” said Atty. Marc Anthony Cox, CCEAP stakeholder relations director. “Together, we can create a positive impact by keeping more valuable resources in circulation and strengthening local recovery systems.”

Under the arrangement, collected clear PET bottles will be sent to PETValue Philippines, a bottle-to-bottle recycling facility jointly operated by CCEAP and Indorama Ventures. The facility converts recovered materials into food-grade recycled PET (rPET), supporting a circular lifecycle for plastic packaging.

CCEAP said it will continue working with government agencies, industry stakeholders and community partners to expand collection initiatives and make recycling more accessible across the country.