The Green Earth, a locally registered charitable organization in Hong Kong, is urging producers to take responsibility for recycling plastic bottles.
This after a survey conducted by The Green Earth shows almost a quarter of plastic bottles washed up on Hong Kong beaches come from the Coca-Cola Company. The local green group organized 14 beach cleaning campaigns across the city this summer.
"We do beach cleaning every year and the amount of ocean waste keeps growing," Hahn Chu Hon Keung, the group's director of environmental advocacy, said in a statement obtained by South China Morning Post. "People dropping the bottles are of course lacking in civic virtue, but do producers have a responsibility?" he added.
Hahn Chu Hon Keung went on to say that a number of rarely seen items had been washed up on shorelines by Typhoon Mangkhut earlier this month. This includes an old 1.25-liter Sprite bottle, which is believed to be the earliest plastic version ever since the giant company switched from glass, and another Coca-Cola bottle with a label stating the beverage was the official soft drink of the 1988 Olympics. Both of it were nowhere near decomposing.
Thus, The Green Earth suggested Coca-Cola to return to glass bottles and other recyclable materials and produce more refillable containers. If not, the giant company should take the responsibility for recycling those plastic bottles.
In response, a representative from Coca-Cola said the giant company completely understood that there was a packaging issue and had a responsibility to help solve it. That being said, the company has started exploring more sustainable packaging options and innovations.
This includes a water station at sports grounds, which allow consumers to buy water with their own containers. They are also looking into a Green Sponsorship Scheme to properly handle waste packaging produced by large events.
Vita-brand, another beverage and food producer in Hong Kong, has already taken necessary measures to decrease the amount of plastic waste. They have already reduced the weight of bottles and adopted more eco-friendly materials.
"This requires support not just from manufacturers but also stakeholders including the government and retailers, so the right infrastructure to collect and manage solid waste is established," the company said.
The giant company has also organized a school bottle recycling program, which aims to educate students. They, then, sends the containers to a government community green station for proper handling.
