Coca-Cola Bottlers Georgia has designed and built the country’s first smart reverse-vending machine for collecting recyclable waste, with plans to produce up to 2,500 units next year. The company is also developing a mobile application that will allow users to scan a code when depositing bottles, receive instant monetary rewards, and transfer funds directly to their bank accounts.
Company founder Temur Chkonia said the project aims to create additional value from waste through recycling and reuse. He stressed that the initiative will require cooperation between the government, consumers, and producers, arguing that large-scale recycling infrastructure and processing facilities will be necessary to support the system.
According to Luka Janjgava, an innovation technologies engineer at the company, the entire system was designed in Georgia. The machine accepts plastic bottles, glass containers, and aluminum cans, automatically sorting the materials. Plastic and cans are compressed to reduce storage volume, while glass is kept intact to maximize its potential for direct reuse and reprocessing by manufacturers.
Giorgi Sigua, the company’s Technology Development Manager, said regulatory support could help accelerate adoption by encouraging the installation of such machines at locations where beverages are sold, including universities and public spaces. He said the company’s production capacity could reach approximately 2,500 machines annually, enough to cover the Georgian market before pursuing regional export opportunities. The project was initially developed in response to proposed restrictions on plastic beverage bottles, which were later postponed by the government for four years.
