[GreenYes] Fw: Coke's annual shareholder meeting

["Bill Sheehan" <bill_sheehan@mindspring.com>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "General" <general@gov.ns.ca>
To: <zerowaste@grrn.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 05, 2001 12:36 PM
Subject: Coke's annual shareholder meeting


To Whom It May Concern,

Nova Scotia is the North American leader in recycling and composting!!
In September we announced that Nova Scotia achieved 50% diversion of
solid waste from disposal.  We have done this through an agressive and
comprehensive solid waste-resource management strategy that includes a
deposit-refund system for all beverage containers.

Nova Scotia achieves an 80% recovery rate for its beverage containers.
Other provinces and states that do not have a deposit-refund system
usually achieve only about half this recovery rate.  Despite our
impressive achievements, Coke and Pepsi are major contributers to an
organization in Canada called Corporations Supporting Recycling (CSR) in
which one of their mandates is to fight deposit-refund legislation.
Pepsi sponsored a lawsuit in 1996 which tried to overturn our deposit
system.   They lost.  But at great expense to the taxpayer.

Nova Scotia supports any shareholder resolution to require soft drink
companies to establish recycling programs for their beverage
containers.  This should extend, not only to sealed containers, but also
to disposable containers.  It should be important to note, however, that
support should not be given at the expense of already excellent programs
such as deposit-refund programs or bottle bills.  Our goal is not to
encumber industry and business.  We just want and need industries who
operate in a responsible manner.

Please visit our web site at  www.gov.ns.ca/envi/wasteman  to see the
amazing things we have been able to accomplish in managing our wastes.

Sincerely,
Barry Friesen
Solid Waste-Resource Manager