New Report Cited Coca-Cola Bottles as Major Contributor to Plastic Litter

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The new analysis report published by Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) revealed that Coca-Cola branded bottles made up 16% of all plastic bottles found on UK beaches. Also, 65% of all plastic found by the charity were from just 12 companies- PepsiCo, AB InBev, Heineken, McDonald’s, Tesco, Mondelez International, Carlsberg Group, Suntory, Haribo, Aldi, Mars and Coca-Cola.

According to SAS, the soft drinks companies are not in any control of what happens to their products once they leave the shops. It urged the companies to be more responsible as the used bottles have proved to be one of the major causes of environmental pollution. In addition, the government should take necessary measures to introduce deposit return scheme (DRS) for plastic bottles, which in turn will boost recycling. The companies should be held responsible for the pollution, it added.

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Reacting to the findings of the report, Coca-Cola spokesperson said that the company is committed to reducing packaging waste and ensure that none of its bottles end up in oceans causing pollution. The introduction of a well-designed DRS would encourage people to recycle, rather than litter them. All of the company’s packaging are recyclable, he noted.

SAS recommended drinks majors to reduce their packaging and switch to a re-fill model, thus encouraging reuse of bottles.