Here's a shark that ignores RECYCLING, and thus the need for a clean
community. Well, a filthy jungle is not his concern. It reminds me of
Jacques Cousteau's words: "Living like rats it's not my idea of life."

There's also good news, I mean on a small scale...

"Ten states across America already achieve an 80 percent recycling rate
for bottles and cans by requiring a refundable deposit on beverage
containers. The key to increase recycling on a national basis is
providing appropriate financial incentives," Woodall said.


Pepsi 'Broke Recycling Promise'
GrassRoots Recycling Network 27apr01
Shareholder Resolution Focuses Attention on Pepsi's Bottle and Can
Waste

ATLANTA, GA - PepsiCo Inc. (Ticker: PEP) broke its 1990 promise to make
soda bottles with 25 percent recycled plastic and the company has spent
millions of dollars lobbying against recycling legislation,
environmental leaders said today.

"More than 1.6 million Pepsi soda bottles and cans are thrown away
every hour in the United States. In one day, more than 40 million Pepsi
soft drink containers become litter or get sent to landfills and
incinerators," said Bill Sheehan, national network coordinator for the
Athens, Georgia-based GrassRoots Recycling Network.

"It's time for Pepsi to take responsibility for wasting billions of
beverage containers each year. We urge Pepsi shareholders to vote for
the recycling proposal, proxy item Number 6, at the annual shareholder
meeting in Dallas, Texas on May 2," Sheehan said.

PepsiCo is the nation's second largest beverage maker. PepsiCo
shareholders can vote via the Internet for the recycling proposal by
going to the GrassRoots Recycling Network web site, at www.grrn.org .

"We have targeted Pepsi for several reasons. First, because Pepsi broke
its 1990 promise to use recycled plastic in making new soda bottles.
Second, because the company increasingly relies on throwaway plastic
bottles, and three out of four end up in landfills or incinerators.
Third, because Pepsi has spent millions of dollars to defeat the most
effective beverage container recycling laws in the nation - bottle
bills," said Lance King, a spokesman for environmental groups
supporting the shareholder resolution.

Walden Asset Management of Boston, and Domini Social Investments of New
York, which together own $20 million worth of PepsiCo stock, submitted
the shareholder resolution. The non- binding resolution calls for
PepsiCo to meet two specific recycling goals by January 1, 2005:

* Make Pepsi plastic bottles with 25 percent recycled plastic; and *
Achieve an 80 percent national recycling rate for bottles and cans.

The PepsiCo recycling resolution is similar to one introduced at the
April 18 Coke shareholder meeting. That proposal received 5.2% 'Yes"
votes, representing 88.9 million shares worth more than $4 billion.

PepsiCo and Coca-Cola both promised in 1990 to use 25% recycled plastic
in their plastic bottles. Coke recently started using a small amount of
recycled plastic in the United States, and CEO Doug Daft announced at
the April 18 meeting that Coke has set a 10% recycled content goal by
2005 for their plastic bottles.

Environmental groups led by the GrassRoots Recycling Network have waged
a four-year campaign targeting Coca-Cola to take responsibility for
rising beverage container waste and declining recycling rates.
"Coke has been the focus of our campaign because they are the market
leader, with 44% of the U.S. soft drink market. Pepsi, with 31% market
share, has done nothing. Pepsi has gotten a free ride. But that is
about to change," said Sheehan.
"Plastics are now the largest portion of beverage container waste in
the United States.," Pat Franklin, executive director of the Arlington,
Virginia-based Container Recycling Institute said. "Beverage container
waste increased more than 50 percent from 1992 to 1999. Pepsi is a big
part of the problem."

"Pepsi needs to take responsibility for its bottle and can waste.
Throwing away billions of bottles and cans every year burdens local
government and taxpayers with clean-up costs, pollutes the environment,
and squanders valuable energy needed to make new containers from virgin
resources," Franklin said.

"The shareholder resolutions set realistic goals, based on actual
experience. Plastic soda bottles are made with 25 percent recycled
plastic in several countries, including Australia, Switzerland and
Sweden. Coke has started using recycled plastic again in the United
States, while Pepsi shirks its responsibility," Bob Woodall, executive
director of Atlanta, Georgia-based Waste Not Georgia, said.

"Ten states across America already achieve an 80 percent recycling rate
for bottles and cans by requiring a refundable deposit on beverage
containers. The key to increase recycling on a national basis is
providing appropriate financial incentives," Woodall said.

PepsiCo's recent acquisition of Gatorade brand, the sports drink
leader, is both good news and bad news from a recycling perspective.
"Gatorade reportedly uses some recycled plastic in making its bottles.
However, more than 80 percent of Gatorade plastic bottles get thrown
away, because only 2 states require a refundable deposit on this type
of beverage," Sheehan said. "Non- carbonated drinks, like teas, sports
drinks and water, are the fastest growing portion of the beverage
market, and the fastest growing contributor to beverage container
waste."
* More information is at www.grrn.org/media
* Contact: Lance King (703) 536-7282 Bill Sheehan (706) 613-7121

http://www.ecologycenter.org/iptf/no...enpromise.html