Coca-Cola Promotes Recycling With Reverse Vending Machines

Reverse Vending MachineCold bottles of Coca-Cola have been vending machine staples for decades, and now the company is using “reverse vending machines” to encourage their customers to recycle every bottle of Coke they buy. Earlier this month, Coca-Cola deployed its reverse vending machines at the 50th anniversary Special Olympics USA Games in Seattle. Each time an attendee returned a bottle or can to one of the machines, it would automatically contribute the $.05 deposit as a donation to Special Olympics Washington. In other places where Coca-Cola has installed its reverse vending machines, customers can receive gifts such as Coke-branded t-shirts, bags and hats made from recycled plastic when they deposit their used bottles and cans.

Coca-Cola is particularly interested in using its reverse vending machines to encourage recycling at music festivals and other outdoor events where large quantities of bottled beverages are consumed. They’ve even suggested offering VIP benefits to fans who use their recycling centers at these events. Coca-Cola North America is currently in the process of deploying reverse vending machines at retail locations in the United States and Canada as well.

This program constitutes just one part of Coca-Cola’s ambitious World Without Waste initiative, which aims to “collect and recycle the equivalent of every bottle or can it sells globally by 2030.” In addition to creating its own recycling centers, the company is also working to develop 100-percent recyclable packaging and reduce the amount of plastic that is used to make its bottles.

Keep an eye out next time you buy a bottle of Coke from a vending machine—there could be another machine waiting to take your bottle back nearby!

High-Tech Vending Machines Are Getting Pretty Smart

High-Tech Vending Machines Are Getting Pretty SmartThe vending machines you used just a decade or two ago were incredibly basic compared to what is available today. You might put a dollar or two into those machines, select what you wanted to purchase and pick up your change. It was a simple process, but many of today’s vending machines are able to do so much more than the vending machines of yesteryear. Some particularly high-tech options are even able to use features like facial recognition and machine learning to make recommendations based on your specific preferences.

Today’s vending machines are able to provide customers with just about any product you can imagine.

While many older vending machines only offered snacks and beverages, you can purchase everything from frozen yogurt to electronics in modern vending machines. These machines also offer a variety of different payment options. Some machines are able to accept payments wirelessly and sync with your smartphone to help you pick out what you want. Additionally, these vending machines often offer high-definition displays and touchscreens that make the purchasing process even easier.

In the future, vending machines are going to continue to get more and more advanced, according to Venture Beat. Some, like the VICKI smart vending machine, are incorporating social media and fingerprint identification to personalize the experience of using a vending machine. Others, like Coca Cola’s smart digital vending machine, are allowing people to connect to the cloud when making purchases. It’s going to be interesting to see how far vending machine manufacturers can take things in the years to come, especially when you consider just how far they’ve come already.

At Orsino Vending, we strive to offer our customers a variety of modern vending machine options to suit their unique needs. From fresh, healthy options to quick snacks and coffee machines, you can find it all right here. Give us a call or contact us online today to learn more!