Los Angeles sues Pepsi, Coca-Cola over plastic pollution - E&E News by POLITICO

Los Angeles is suing the nation’s two largest beverage brands for their contributions to plastic pollution, embracing the novel legal attacks launched by its home state California and New York.

LA County’s lawsuit against PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, filed Wednesday in a California superior court, alleges the companies “engaged in a disinformation campaign to make consumers falsely believe” their plastic bottles were the most environmentally friendly option.

“Coke and Pepsi need to stop the deception and take responsibility for the plastic pollution problems your products are causing,” LA County Board of Supervisors Chair Lindsey Horvath said in a statement.

EPA estimates less than 10 percent of all plastics created each year get recycled, while the rest winds up in landfills, incinerated or as pollution in the environment. Products from brands owned by Coca-Cola or Pepsi collectively make up approximately 16 percent of the world’s plastic pollution, according to a survey published earlier this year.