Coca-Cola and Merlin Entertainments have relaunched their reverse vending machine recycling scheme for the fifth consecutive year, offering guests the chance to win VIP experiences at UK attractions in exchange for empty plastic bottles.

The initiative allows visitors to recycle an empty 500ml plastic bottle at participating Merlin attractions and enter a prize draw for exclusive experiences.

This year’s prizes include behind-the-scenes tours of SAW: The Ride, The Walking Dead: The Ride and Ghost Train at Thorpe Park, as well as fast track tickets for Bluey the Ride: Here Come the Grannies! in CBeebies Land at Alton Towers Resort.

The scheme is designed to encourage recycling through reverse vending machines placed across Merlin’s UK estate. Coca-Cola said machine usage increased by 18 per cent between 2024 and 2025, reaching nearly 30,000 transactions last year.

Since launch, hundreds of thousands of plastic bottles have been recycled through the machines.

Thirty reverse vending machines will be installed across ten Merlin attractions between 1 July and 9 September 2026.

Participating locations include Cadbury World, Alton Towers Resort, Chessington World of Adventures Resort, LEGOLAND Windsor Resort, SEA LIFE aquariums in Blackpool, Birmingham, Brighton and London, Thorpe Park and Warwick Castle.

Guests will also be able to win returning VIP prizes, including a giraffe encounter at Chessington World of Adventures Resort, a snorkelling with sharks experience at SEA LIFE Blackpool, and a new Warwick Castle experience featuring a behind-the-scenes tour of Legend of the Trebuchet and a private history tour.

Coca-Cola GB&I general manager Dusan Stojankic said: “We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with Merlin Entertainments, turning recycling into an exciting opportunity for families and thrill seekers across the UK to win fantastic prizes.

“The reverse vending machines are a fun and impactful way to encourage sustainable habits while creating magical memories.”

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners senior sustainability manager Jo Padwick said the partnership was designed to make recycling more engaging for visitors.

“By linking recycling to memorable experiences, we’re helping make it easier and more engaging for people to recycle their plastic bottles,” she said.

“Partnerships like this play an important role in ensuring more bottles are collected and kept within the circular economy, rather than ending up as waste.”

Merlin vice president of global ESG and sustainability Dare Ilori added: “We are a business where play takes the lead, and this partnership is a great example of how we can use the power of our attractions to encourage positive behaviours in a fun and engaging way.

“As we celebrate five years of working with Coca-Cola on this scheme, we’re delighted to continue giving families even more reasons to enjoy a day out together, combining memorable experiences with a simple action that supports a more sustainable future.”

Visitors can find the machines by asking staff at participating attractions or using the relevant attraction’s app. After recycling a bottle, guests will receive a receipt with details of how to enter the VIP prize draw.

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