Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) Australia has strengthened its longstanding leadership in Australia’s circular economy with the installation of a new Return and Earn Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) at its Northmead production site in Western Sydney. The installation advances CCEP’s national strategy to expand access and convenience to recycling without increasing the cost to consumers. This underscores CCEP’s ongoing commitment to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).

Northmead is CCEP’s second consumer accessible RVM located at a production site, following the successful launch at Moorabbin, Victoria, in November 2025. The Moorabbin RVM has already collected more than 144,000 beverage containers as of February 2026*, highlighting the strong community response when trusted, high visibility return points are made available.

For nearly 50 years, CCEP has partnered with governments, industry and communities to help design, establish and expand Container Deposit Schemes (CDS) across Australia, systems now recognised globally for their transparency, impact and effectiveness.

Orlando Rodriguez, Managing Director – Australia at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, said:

“Access and convenience are essential to a successful circular economy, and installing public return points at our own sites is a practical example of that commitment in action. It’s a logical extension of extended producer responsibility: supporting recycling rates without increasing the cost of each grocery shop.”

“For more than 50 years, Coca-Cola has been proudly made in Northmead – and now, with this Return and Earn machine, our containers can be made here and returned here, supporting local recycling and ensuring consumers can claim back their deposits.”

Conveniently located at 128 Briens Road, Northmead, the Return and Earn Northmead machine is open daily from 8:00am to 5:00pm, offering Western Sydney residents and CCEP employees an accessible authorised return point to recycle eligible containers and receive the 10 cent refund.

The Northmead machine expands CCEP’s network of high convenience return points, with more installations planned at key manufacturing sites to further enhance community access and support higher container recovery rates.

Rodriguez added: “Our Moorabbin site has shown strong community interest in additional return points, and that’s encouraged us to keep building on this momentum. Rolling out more RVMs across our major sites is the next step in strengthening community access and delivering on our long-term producer responsibility commitments.”

The project was delivered in partnership with Return and Earn, an initiative of the NSW Government.

Danielle Smalley, CEO of Exchange for Change, said:

“Return and Earn is a successful product stewardship scheme funded by the beverage industry. It’s great to see beverage suppliers like Coca-Cola Europacific Partners supporting the community’s participation by hosting a machine onsite.”

James Dorney, CEO of TOMRA Cleanaway, said:

“We’re proud to partner with return point hosts like CCEP to provide a convenient and accessible network of return points across NSW. Residents of the City of Parramatta are enthusiastic recyclers and we are pleased that the Northmead Return and Earn machine will help make Return and Earn even more accessible for the community.”

Geoff Parker, CEO of the Australian Beverages Council Limited, said:

“Container Deposit Schemes are one of Australia’s most effective circular economy success stories. What makes them work is accessibility and shared responsibility. By investing in return points like Northmead, CCEP is demonstrating how extended producer responsibility can strengthen environmental impacts.

“We encourage shopping centres, transport hubs, government buildings and other community locations to join industry in making it easier for Australians to return their containers. The more accessible we make return points, the stronger recycling outcomes will be.”

CCEP’s RVM expansion complements its broader circular packaging efforts. As a founding partner of Circular Plastics Australia (PET) – with Pact Group, Cleanaway and Asahi Beverages – CCEP supports two worldclass PET recycling facilities in Altona North (VIC) and Albury (NSW), capable of processing the equivalent of up to 2 billion 600ml PET bottles annually.

These initiatives form a core component of This is Forward, CCEP’s sustainability action plan, which embeds circularity and producer responsibility at the centre of the company’s long-term strategy.

*Data provided to CCEP by Return?it, RVM Dashboard Summary – February 2026.

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