Park with plastic: CitiPark UK enables drivers to exchange bottles for parking tickets

19 Oct 2018 --- UK car park operator CitiPark has launched a novel recycling initiative whereby customers can pay for their parking with plastic bottles. The plastic bottles will then be recycled into items such as shirts, toys and chairs. The initiative is currently active at CitiPark’s Merrion Centre branch in Leeds, UK, for the duration of October.

CitiPark says it is passionate about protecting the environment and has already introduced a range of green initiatives, as well as investing in sustainable technologies to conserve energy, lower pollution and reduce waste.

The eco-conscious company is going one step further by launching an innovative new plastic bottle recycling initiative: anyone wanting to pay for parking at the CitiPark-owned Merrion Centre car park during the whole of October can simply pay with plastic bottles which, once collected, will then be recycled into new usable items.

Drivers can pay for parking with minimum 500ml sized plastic bottles. Each bottle has an equivalent value of 20p (US$0.23). Reports indicate that the scheme has been well received, with hundreds of plastic bottles being exchanged for parking.

The reasons behind the new initiative? Humanity is now producing nearly 300 million tons of plastic every year, half of which is for single-use, and more than 8 million tons of plastic are dumped into our oceans every year (Plastic Oceans). CitiPark references the global impact of Sir David Attenborough raising this vital issue in his programme Blue Planet 2, after which the BBC announced a major initiative called Plastics Watch, designed to positively enable the British public to help reduce plastic pollution.

Charlotte-Daisy Ziff, Head of Corporate Social Responsibilities at Town Centre Securities (CitiPark’s parent company) & CitiPark, comments: “Here at CitiPark we believe that we all have a part to play in ensuring the preservation and betterment of our environment for future generations.”

“So this promotion not only offers our customers the chance of free/discounted parking, but they can also get rid of their waste plastic bottles and contribute to the protection of the environment at the same time: it’s a win-win all around! We hope that as many people as possible will get on board,” she concludes.

A further part of CitiPark’s commitment to going green, the company will take part in a week-long series of recycling and sustainability activities, involving a range of retailers and organizations, at the Merrion Centre from 22-26 October.