Container Deposit Recycling Scheme Canned Thanks To Coca Cola

I’m gobsmacked by this turn of events. I’ve reported a couple of times on a legal challenge by Coca Cola Amatil (Coke) to end a container deposit program in Australia’s Northern Territory.

A similar scheme in the neighbouring state of South Australia has been a huge success environmentally speaking – the amount of recyclable containers in that state going to landfill has been reduced to just 3%. It’s also provided a bit of an income for many folks – it’s very rare to see cans and bottles laying around for any length of time here.

Given how useful these programs are with regard to the environment and how much support they have in the community, I believed Coca Cola Amatil’s efforts to end the scheme would be in vain.

I was very wrong.

News has just come in that a Federal Court judge has ruled the Northern Territory’s container deposit scheme is *illegal* under Commonwealth law.

According to the ABC, the judge swept aside the Northern Territory Government’s argument that legislation concerning different production processes for the same product in different states did not apply because the scheme was aimed at reducing environmental harm.

Unbelievable.

A statement also just released by Greenpeace reads in part:

“If you’re wondering how this could happen, we’re wondering too.”

If you want to tell Coca Cola Amatil how you feel about this – please post a (civil) comment on the Australian Coca Cola FaceBook page and please let others know about the situation. These are very important initiatives that should be implemented in every corner of the world.

I’ve also boycotted buying Coca Cola products, so it’s goodbye Coke and hello Pepsi I guess (unless I find out they had a hand in this too). Maybe it’s a good time to give the fizzy stuff a miss altogether.