Monday 18th February 2013
According to the Boomerang Alliance, a collective of more than 20 Australian environmental centres, today’s Greenpeace action against Coca Cola is another escalation in the battle against a company that supports mickey mouse anti-litter schemes and opposes effective programs like the Northern Territory’s cash for containers. Coke will be going to the Federal Court tomorrow to stop the NT scheme.
“Coca Cola is now notorious in Australia for being the driving force behind misleading public and political campaigns against the only proven solution for drink container waste, recycling and litter. If they win their court case to declare the NT scheme invalid then the Territory will again be landfilling or littering millions of beverage containers as well throwing dozens of people out of a job,” said Jeff Angel, Convenor of the Boomerang Alliance of environment groups.
“An efficient container deposits system with a 10cent recycle refund can be designed to be totally cost neutral. Coca Cola may promise that if they win the court case then drink prices will drop – but if they had the real interests of Territorians at heart then they would run their NT operations far more efficiently and low cost – achieving both no drink price impacts and massive gains in litter reduction and recycling,” said Angel.
“We note that many small and large bottlers like Fosters and Diageo have not joined the court case and question why government still seems to listen to Coke. Coke and its allies do not represent a commonsense position.”
“Some of Coca Cola’s brands like Mt Franklin also sell themselves on being healthy alternatives but consumers are now realising that these drinks present a massive environmental problem with up to 85% of Australian seabirds now impacted by the plastics from these and other discarded containers.”
More info: www.boomerangalliance.org.au
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