After watching a rather hard-hitting documentary about our planet (and what we’ve put it through as of late) a couple of months ago, I’ve been looking into ways that I can reduce my own ‘foot-print’ on the planet.
From what I garnered from the film, we all contribute and are equally responsible for the overall safety and security of our planet and so we can all do our bit in helping to keep our planet healthy and to give it a long-lasting future.
As cliché as the saying goes, every little bit, does help.
And of course while it’s incentive enough to want to help keep the earth clean and green, it’s an added bonus if you can save money at the same time, right?
Well Coca-Cola seem to agree…
Did you know that every bottle of drink Coca-Cola produces is 100% recyclable?
Admittedly, I didn’t!
This fact itself is a great incentive to recycle, but if you’re looking for another, then getting 50% off attraction tickets might just be it.
David and I are always looking for activities or ideas for days out with friends that don’t cost a fortune and so we were very excited to hear that Coca-Cola Great Britain has joined forces with Merlin Entertainments to offer a whopping 50% discount at the UK’s best-known attractions in exchange for empty plastic bottles.
In doing so, not only have they made recycling more accessible, but also more instantaneously rewarding, which is certainly very encouraging!
To take advantage of this amazing incentive, simply head to one of the Merlin attractions of your choice (I’ve listed them below), find the Reverse Recycling machine (usually located at the entrance, near to the ticket office), bring your bottles along to recycle, pop them into the machine, collect your printed 50% off voucher and head in for a fun-filled day!
The Reverse Recycle machines are located at each of the following attractions and can be used to print out your 50% off voucher once you’ve popped your empty bottle in:
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Alton Towers Resort
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Chessington World of Adventures Resort
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Thorpe Park
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LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort
We visited Thorpe Park earlier this month with two friends and saved up our bottles of Coca-Cola, before heading down to the entrance to recycle and print out our vouchers.
50% off is a huge discount (and greater than anything you’ll find online) and you can bring as many bottles as you like, as each voucher can be used per person.
After arriving and using the Reverse vending machine to print out our vouchers, we headed to the park armed with a list of rides we couldn’t leave without trying.
First stop was The Walking Dead, which features an indoor ride and a walk-through live action area. I screamed from start to finish, clutching onto David for dear life – so it’s safe to say I was fully immersed in the ‘imminent invasion from the walkers’. Despite this, I had so much fun and thoroughly enjoyed it. I sometimes get a bit queasy on motion rides and coasters, but this one was tame enough to be enjoyed by all.
For the adrenaline junkies among us (read, not me), the next stop was The Swarm, aka the UK’s first winged rollercoaster. Enjoy speeds of 100km/h, as you race around the track with nothing below you but air. Not for the faint hearted – but David bravely gave this one a go and LOVED it, he had an exhilarated smile plastered on his face for the rest of the day.
Next up was an agreed favourite, the Rumba Rapids – where each group take a rafting trip around the Park’s river. I managed to stay pretty dry, having strategically picked the least soaked seat upon sitting down – but it’s all part of the fun to get your clothes a little soggy, isn’t it?
We spent all day at Thorpe Park, before fuelling up on pizza and heading home. Proof that you’re never too old for a day riding coasters!
Understandably, the Reverse vending machines have been so popular, that they’ve also been introduced at additional new sites this year, including SEA LIFE Blackpool and Warwick Castle Resort.
In a further push to reduce packaging and waste, Coca-Cola’s Freestyle machine is also available at Thorpe Park Resort, offering visitors the chance to pre-load money onto a chip in a refillable cup. Once you have your cup, you can take it with you around the park and fill up at the assortment of Freestyle stations dotted around the attraction.
I’m delighted to hear that such a huge UK theme park such as Thorpe Park is taking a major step to becoming more eco-friendly. The machines were very well used around the park on the day we visited, people seem to love the idea of re-filling rather than re-purchasing individual bottles. Plus you can try all the different flavours throughout the day too!
Where will you be Reverse Recycling your bottles?
