[GRRN] ALAMEDA AND BERKELEY CA BOARD PASS COKE RESOLUTIONS

Bill Sheehan (zerowaste@grrn.org)
Tue, 23 Mar 1999 08:51:32 -0500


The GrassRoots Recycling Network's consumer Coke Campaign
was endorsed officially by two more official public bodies
yesterday (March 22):

o The Alameda County (California) Waste Management
Authority & Source Reduction and Recycling Board, and

o The City of Berkeley's Solid Waste Management Commission.

The resolutions will be posted when available on GRRN's
website -- joining resolutions from Winona County, Minnesota,
West Hollywood, California and San Luis Obispo County,
California (which started the send back action).

The Alameda resolution added a new dimension, namely calling
for a return to at least a small portion of refillables -- as are used
in parts of Canada and much of Latin America, Europe and the
rest of the world. The language below is from the DRAFT
Alameda resolution, NOT the final resolution, but the changes
were reportedly not substantial:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Alameda
County Source Reduction and Recycling Board supports 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; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Source Reduction and
Recycling Board calls upon Coca-Cola to commit to the
introduction of refillable plastic soda bottles into the U.S. market,
similar to those in use by Coca-Cola in other countries, and to
commit to the sales of 5% of its packaged soft drinks in such
refillable containers in the U. S. by 2003.