Coca Cola Amatil and its allies have defeated the proposed Northern Territory container deposit scheme (CDS) legislation, and in Sydney CCA called the police to prevent protesters dumping empty drink containers in its foyer.
Eight policemen threatened to arrest eight bags of Coca Cola plastic bottle litter and three mild mannered gentlemen from the respectable end of the environment movement outside the office of Coca Cola Amatil in Sydney.
One of the most admired Australians, Clean Up Australia founder Ian Kiernan, accompanied by Jeff Angel from Total Environment Centre (TEC) and the Boomerang Alliance, and David Ritter, CEO of Greenpeace, were told they would be charged with littering and unlawful assembly if they attempted to enter the Coke building to deliver the Coke litter collected on Clean Up Day and speak to Coke executives about a container deposit scheme (CDS).
“This is on the same day that the Federal Court is due to hand down its decision on Coke legal action against the Northern Territory’s CDS,” said Mr Angel.
“Clearly, Coca-Cola is afraid of us and the massive consumer backlash that its opposition to a CDS has produced in recent weeks.”
“It’s really time for state and federal governments to support this simple and effective recycling scheme which could create hundreds of jobs, conserve resources and reduce plastic pollution killing marine wildlife.”
Mr Angel said by taking the government of the Northern Territory to court to stop the container deposit scheme, a scheme that the vast majority of Australians want, Coca-Cola hasn’t won anything but an ideological point.
The Northern Territory government has already moved to reinstate the scheme via an agreement with all states and territories.
“13,000 beverage containers go to landfill every minute!” said Mr Angel. “This is a massive waste of costly resources, including petroleum.
“Coca-Cola is also contributing the majority of containers in the growing stream of plastic marine debris which is killing birds and other sea creatures.
“Australians know this and they want it to stop. Coke is courting a consumer revolt if it continues to intimidate Australians with these bully-boy tactics,” Mr Angel said.
The Northern Territory government intends to appeal a court decision that found its cash-for-containers recycling scheme was invalid.
The AAP reports Northern Territory Chief Minister Terry Mills saying his government won’t give up fighting to continue the recycling scheme.
“We are intending to appeal but of course we haven’t seen the judgment in detail, but it is our intention to fight this,” Mr Mills said after the court decision.
“We will explore every option to see whether we can keep this scheme going in the Northern Territory,” he said.
In the Federal Court in Sydney, Justice John Griffiths found in favour of three major beverage companies that had applied for the NT scheme to be declared invalid so they wouldn’t have to comply with it.
