Amcor Bottles of Love project turns waste into a school

In Colombia, more than 1,500 metric tons of postconsumer flexible plastic waste are generated per day, of which only 1% is incorporated back into the circular economy.

These figures prompted the team at the Amcor plant in Cali, Colombia to partner with the Bottles of Love Foundation and members of the local community to develop a solution for sending less flexible packaging waste to landfills, while also benefitting the community.

The goal of the partnership was to collect post-consumer flexible plastic, transform it into plastic wood, and use that wood to build a new classroom for children in the local rural community of La Choclona. The Amcor team involved colleagues, their families and community members in the initiative to collect flexible plastic packaging inside plastic bottles, which were then sent to the Bottles of Love Foundation for processing into plastic wood.

In addition, the team raised 10 million Colombian pesos (approximately $2,300) through donations, which Amcor matched. This combined funding allowed the team to purchase additional post-consumer flexible plastics from local waste collectors and aggregators, who used the economic contributions to increase their operating capacity and improve their recycling processes. Thanks to these efforts, the team exceeded its initial goal of collecting 230 metric tons of material, allowing Bottles of Love to create enough extra plastic wood to both build the classroom and furnish it with desks made from the material.

Amcor volunteers concluded the project by lending a hand in cleaning up and improving the school’s playground, delivering a win for all involved. Looking ahead, the team plans to expand the initiative by partnering with more organizations, with hopes of building additional classrooms for underserved communities.