Los Angeles County sues Coca-Cola, Pepsi over plastic bottles

Nov 02, 2024

PepsiCo and Coca-Cola are being sued by Los Angeles County over their plastic bottles and allegations of harm to the environment.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, accuses the soda companies of misleading consumers about their ability to recycle their bottles.

The suit also said the companies’ plastic products pollute land and water, harm wildlife, and threaten public health.

“Plastic pollution has become a global crisis and a threat to both human and environmental health,” according to the lawsuit. “PepsiCo and Coca-Cola — the top plastic polluters in the world — have littered the County of Los Angeles with their plastic bottles and engaged in a disinformation campaign to make consumers falsely believe that purchasing their products in single-use plastic bottles is an environmentally responsible choice.”

Los Angeles County Board Chair Lindsey P. Horvath said the county is committed to reducing plastic pollution.

“Coke and Pepsi need to stop the deception and take responsibility for the plastic pollution problems your products are causing,” Horvath said in a news release on the county’s website.

PepsiCo and Coca-Cola have been ranked as the world’s top plastic polluters for five consecutive years “with no meaningful accountability,” the county said.

Los Angeles County accused Coca-Cola of saying their bottles can be recycled an endless number of times while plastic bottles can only be recycled once, if at all. The county also alleged Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have deceived people by saying recycling can offset any harm caused by the plastic bottles. It also accused the companies of making false promises about increasing the use of recycled plastic by certain percentages and eliminating the use of virgin plastic.

In November 2023, New York state sued PepsiCo, accusing it of harming the public and the environment with single-use plastic bottles.

Break Free From Plastic puts Coca-Cola and PepsiCo at the top of its list among 56 companies contributing to more than half of the world’s branded plastic pollution.

The organization cites its 2024 study showing Coca-Cola is responsible for 11% of branded waste, followed by PepsiCo at 5%, Nestlé and Danone both at 3%, and Altria/Philip Morris International at 2%.

PepsiCo and Coca-Cola belong to the American Beverage Association, which denied the Los Angeles County lawsuit’s allegations in a statement from William Dermody, its vice president of media and public affairs.

"The allegation that our packaging is not and will not be recycled is simply not true,” Dermody said. “Driven by the California Redemption Value bottle return and investments by America’s beverage companies, California has one of the highest bottle recycling rates in the country — 71% in 2023.

“Our bottles are designed to be recycled and remade and can include up to 100% recycled plastic,” Dermody said. "America’s beverage companies are proud of our leadership in California and across the country, and will continue our partnership with the Golden State to get every bottle back.”

Besides Coke, Coca-Cola produces other beverages in plastic bottles such as Sprite, Vitaminwater, Barq’s and Minute Maid.

In addition to Pepsi, PepsiCo manufactures beverages such as Gatorade, Aquafina and Mountain Dew, all of which are bottled in plastic. The company also distributes 7Up, which is owned by Keurig Dr Pepper and sells in plastic bottles.

Dave Mason covers East County for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached [email protected] or 805-437-0232.