Coke, Pepsi and Heineken make up quarter of branded litter
ALMOST a quarter of branded litter comes from just three firms, a study suggests.
Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Heineken products made up 23 per cent of brand name rubbish found by volunteers during a clean-up project.
The drinks industry was the largest polluter in both 2020 and 2021 – responsible for more than a third of waste found, according to a report. Some 85,326 pieces of rubbish were recorded in the UK last year by more than 5,400 users of the Planet Patrol app.
The app allows litter-pickers to record any refuse they find – and this is the third year Planet Patrol has released a report on the total amount of waste discovered and the companies behind the dumped items. In all three years, Coca-Cola produced the most branded litter, accounting for more than one in ten pieces logged. As well as cola, the firm also owns brands such as Fanta and bought the Costa coffee chain in 2019.
Planet Patrol wants the Government to support an ‘all in’ deposit return scheme in which customers pay a small fee when buying drinks bottles and cans. The deposit is then returned when the empty containers are taken to a collection point.
Planet Patrol founder Lizzie Carr said: ‘If the UK Government is sincere in its ambition to be a world leader in tackling pollution, then... solutions like the deposit return scheme and extended producer responsibility reform must be implemented as a priority.’ The Daily Mail has highlighted the scourge of litter for many years through its Turn The Tide On Plastic campaign.
A Heineken UK spokesman said it was already removing plastic from its packaging, adding: ‘Our “Green Grip” eradicates the need for plastic rings on cans, instead providing a totally recyclable and compostable cardboard solution.’
A Coca-Cola Great Britain spokesman said: ‘We’re committed to reducing plastic waste and we don’t want to see any of our packaging end up where it shouldn’t.’ PepsiCo declined to comment.