Coke has been joined by Schweppes, Lion Nathan, and the Australian Food and Grocery Council in the Federal Court trying 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,” said Jeff Angel, convenor of the Boomerang Alliance of environment groups.
“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 as throwing dozens of people out of a job.
“An efficient container deposits system with a 10-cent recycling 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, 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 Mr Angel.
“We note that many small and large bottlers like Fosters and Diageo have not joined the court case and question why governments 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.”
