A major retailer agrees to look for alternatives to EPS foam packaging, and Greenpeace once again hammers Coca-Cola over end-of-life plastics.
Doubling down: Greenpeace has released a new report taking Coca-Cola to task for what the activist organization describes as a failure to address plastic bottle ocean pollution. Titled “The Case Against Coca-Cola,” the report was released Monday, concurrent with a Greenpeace demonstration in front of the soda giant’s London headquarters. Earlier this year, the environmental group attacked the beverage company after obtaining documents that outlined Coca-Cola opposition to bottle deposits.
Foam freeze: Nonprofit group As You Sow has withdrawn a shareholder proposal that aimed to pressure Target into phasing out its use of expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam packaging, after the retail giant agreed to discuss alternatives throughout its value chain. According to an As You Sow press release, Target does not use EPS in its materials shipped directly to consumers, but the material remains in use among third parties selling through the retailer’s online marketplace.
Bag breakdown: Even though the county has a contamination rate of just 5 percent, officials in Monroe County, N.Y. are looking to educate the public on which items are recyclable in the area. A column in the Democrat & Chronicle newspaper reports that plastic bags are the primary cause of equipment failures at the local MRF, which shuts down at least once a day to clean out contaminants.
