
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, March 15, 1991                   TAG: 9103150235
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

COCA-COLA BOTTLES USING RECYCLED BLEND

Coca-Cola Consolidated said it has started using recycled plastic bottles in Charlotte and plans eventually to expand its use to the Roanoke market. The 2-liter bottles are made from a blend of 25 percent recycled plastic and 75 percent resin. The company said they are the first for the soft drink industry.

The bottler said it plans to expand use of the resin through its Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Roanoke subsidiary and in other markets when the material is available, said Lauren Steele, a vice president.

His company has contributed to Roanoke's new curbside recycling program, starting later this month, he said.

Recycled plastic soft-drink bottles have been used to make carpeting and plastic lumber, the Charlotte company said, but this is the first time they have been used to be made into the same product.

The new bottles bear a label saying they are made with a least 25 percent recycled plastic.

Ellen Aiken of the Clean Valley Council in Roanoke called the new bottle "something of a breakthrough." - Staff report

by CNB