Parliamentary Secretary to the NSW Minister for Climate Change and the Environment, Angela D'Amore MP, launched a recycling initiative at Westfield Shopping Centre in Burwood which, once rolled out nationally, will divert 675 tonnes of beverage containers from landfill each year. That is enough containers to fill nine Olympic sized swimming pools with recyclable material each year.

The launch coincides with Keep Australia Beautiful Week, whose focus this year is on promoting public awareness to change people's behaviour, encouraging them to recycle when they are away from home.

Westfield have recently installed new public recycling bins across their other shopping centres in Westfield Bondi Junction, Burwood, Chatswood, Hurstville, Kotara, Penrith, Liverpool, Miranda, Mt Druitt, Parramatta and Tuggerah, aiming to recycle up to 305 tonnes of beverage containers in NSW alone by December 2011.

Ms D'Amore said Westfield's coordinated recycling service was an Australian first which would help meet NSW goals to increase opportunities for people to recycle away from home.

"We need to give people the same recycling signals and systems when they are ‘out and about' as they have at home and shoppers at many Westfield shopping centres can now recycle cans, PET and glass bottles with ease," Ms D'Amore said.

Nationally, Westfield will install new recycling systems in participating centres by the end of 2010 thanks to a partnership between industry and government through the Australian Packaging Covenant. Funding partners include the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC), Australian Packaging Covenant Industry Association, state governments in the ACT, NSW, QLD, SA, VIC and WA and the Coca-Cola system in Australia.

The rollout of this program nationally will mean 675 tonnes of bottles and cans will be diverted from landfill every year. The national Public Place Recycling initiative is aimed at educating and encouraging shoppers in Westfield's across Australia to help the environment, one can or bottle at a time. Westfield have also established an engaging consumer promotion to accompany the recycling roll out, to demonstrate the environmental impact that recycling even a single PET, glass bottle or aluminium can have on the environment.

Timothy Roberts, Regional General Manager of NSW Westfield, said, "We are very proud to announce the installation of our recycling infrastructure from today. This is an important element of Westfield's over aching sustainability program. Our program will empower our shoppers to recycle and understand that every bottle and can counts".

Jenny Pickles, AFGC Packaging Stewardship Forum General Manager said, "This is a great example of the types of proactive programs industry is undertaking to address the issue of packaging product stewardship. It shows that great things can be achieved through partnerships between industry and government".

Alec Wagstaff, Director of Corporate Affairs Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA), said, "CCA is involved with the Westfield program as we recognise everyone - both consumers and manufacturers - have a part to play in the proper recycling and disposal of packaging.  The partnership with Westfield and the establishment of recycling bins in shopping centre food courts across Australia enables consumers to place their empty but valuable Coca-Cola, Mt Franklin and other beverage containers in a recycling bin while consumers are out and about. Australians are great recyclers and we are proud to support the Westfield initiative which ensures recyclable material, such as the iconic Coca-Cola bottle is diverted from landfill and recycled into other goods.  This program is a great example of industry efforts to generate a better outcome for the environment".

Every bottle or can recycled reduces the impact of greenhouse gases on the environment. The aluminium, glass and plastic materials in the beverage containers will be recycled to be used in other products such as carpets, fabrics and of course, more beverage containers.