Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) has revealed that it collected 5.76 million pieces of recyclable spirit bottles from distributors in three months to September.

This follows the completion of the ‘Rudisha Pilot Phase Project’ conducted at the end of its previous financial year, where the firm collected 1.6 million bottles, a move aimed at protecting and conserving the environment.

KBL Managing Director Mark Ocitti has stated that the company is rapidly shifting from one-way glass use to a returnable spirits glass model to stem value chain emissions.

“The model involves a meticulous distributor-recollection rigour in which vans delivering KBL products pick 250 ml bottles already assembled in bars.These bottles are then stacked up and transported to Ruaraka where they are sorted, cleaned and sterilized before being refilled with respective liquids at UDV, its spirits making subsidiary,” he said.

KBL says the new expanded post-pilot phase involving a new returnable glass collection model engaged 25 distributors nationwide in June, July, and August.

“The programme, dubbed Project Rudisha, aims to run a sustainable spirits glass collection model,shifting fully from one-way bottle packaging use to a returnable glass model. The plan is in line with the company’s ambition to achieve a sustainable low-carbon world,” Ocitti said.

Further, KBL has revealed that the programme will reduce nearly 5,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide and create 500 additional jobs through local employment.

Ocitti has already said that the project has proven to lower the cost of business operations by reducing its water and energy consumption, therefore reducing costs.