[GRRN] MN COUNTY SUPPORTS COKE TAKE-IT-BACK CAMPAIGN

Bill Sheehan (zerowaste@grrn.org)
Mon, 1 Feb 1999 19:14:15 -0500

[Winona MN is the second county government to support
the campaign to get Coke to live up to its 1990 promise to
close the loop and use recycled plastic in the 8 billion+ plastic
bottles it sells in the U.S. every year. The first was San Luis
Obispo, California, which started the consumer campaign.
For a model resolution, status update and other information,
please see the GrassRoots Recycling Network's web site:
www.grrn.org. If your county officials are complaining about
the high cost of recycling and low prices paid for
collected plastic, free to suggest that they adopt this
resolution and send a message to Coke. If Coke, which
claims to use one third of all the container PET plastic in
the world, bought back their soda bottles, recycling plastic
would make more sense and taxpayers would save a bundle.]

RESOLUTION
In Support of the Consumer Action Calling on
Coca-Cola to Use Recycled PET in their Bottles

Adopted January 26, 1999 by the
WINONA COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
Winona, Minnesota

1. Whereas, the commitment of Winona County to the
recovery of plastics through its recycling program has
extended over twelve years; and

2. Whereas, over the course of these twelve years Winona
County as recovered over two thousand tons of plastics
from its residents and businesses, and;

3. Whereas, while the market value of recycled PET
(polyethylene terephthalate - the soda bottle) has varied
widely over these years, never before have we found
ourselves in today's crisis situation, where we must pay to
market our PET plastics; and

4. Whereas, this marketing crisis could potentially result
in the decision to stop the recycling of PET plastics
altogether in Winona County; and

5. Whereas, Winona County has long promoted the use of
recycled products through its purchasing practices,
educational efforts and the extensive support of market
development initiatives; and

6. Whereas, FDA-approved technology exists today to
incorporate recycled PET into new beverage containers,
and in fact is being done by Coca-Cola itself in many
nations throughout the world; and

7. Whereas, it is widely acknowledged that the use of
recycled PET in the production of beverage containers
would have an enormous positive impact on the value of
recycled PET; and

8. Whereas, the Coca-Cola Company has made the
marketing decision to increase its use of PET plastic, and
move away from the use of easily recyclable glass and
aluminum, for their containers; and

9. Whereas, we were thankful when the Coca-Cola
Company voluntarily committed to using recycled PET in
their containers in 1990, at a time when many states were
considering bottle bill initiatives to bring about increased
recycling;

Now, therefore, be it resolved that the Winona County
Board of Commissioners goes on record in support of
the consumer action calling on Coca-Cola to use
recycled PET in their bottles, thereby closing the
recycling loop, and returning a measure of rationality
and profitability to the operations of our nation's
public and private recycling programs.