In a powerful legal action, the New York State Attorney’s Office filed a lawsuit against soft drink and snack giant PepsiCo, accusing it of polluting the Buffalo River with its disposable plastic packaging. The indictment alleges that these containers pose a threat to public health and that the company has misled the public about its efforts to remove them.

According to the complaint, the vast majority of plastics collected annually on the banks of the Buffalo River, located in the northwest of the state, are bottles, caps and snack wrappers that decompose forming microplastics, with PepsiCo being the most prevalent brand, far surpassing to others.

In an investigation carried out by the authority in 2022 on the types of plastic found in 13 points of the Buffalo River and its slope, more than 2,600 objects with recognizable marks were identified, 73% being plastic. Of the total, 17% were PepsiCo products (328), compared to 5.7% for McDonald’s (109) and 4.2% for Hershey (80).

The Prosecutor’s Office argues that the company is responsible for a “public harm” against the residents of Buffalo and its surroundings, given that microplastics have been detected both in the town’s drinking water supply from Lake Erie, near the mouth , as in the fish of both waters.

Accusation of increase in the use of plastics against PepsiCo

In addition to pollution, the Prosecutor’s Office accuses PepsiCo of appearing to make progress in reducing the use of non-recycled or virgin plastics in its packaging, when in reality it has increased its use in the last four years, experiencing an increase of 11% in 2022 alone. , according to the authority, attributing the figure directly to the company.

In response, the Prosecutor’s Office seeks compensation for damages, urges the company to stop and remedy the pollution, and demands measures to reduce the amount of plastic packaging in the Buffalo River, as well as the inclusion of “appropriate” notices on the packaging.

“All New Yorkers have a basic right to clean water, but PepsiCo’s irresponsible packaging and marketing endangers Buffalo’s water supply, environment and public health,” U.S. Attorney Letitia James said in the statement.

K. Tovar

Source: Bancaynegocios

(Reference image source: WrS.tm.pl, Unsplash)

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