It’s good to see the mainstream media calling foul on some corporate dirty work. Karin Kline writes in the LA Times:
Grand Canyon National Park was just about to impose a ban on single-use plastic water bottles — the most common form of trash found along its trails — when the plan was suddenly put on hold, the New York Times reported. The paper raises the possibility that Coca-Cola Co. was able to get a sympathetic ear at the National Parks Foundation because the company, which bottles Dasani water, is a major donor.
This isn’t a radical new idea. Zion National Park already has a ban. The park provides “hydration stations” for people to refill their reusable bottles, as the Grand Canyon park would have.
The story included a strange comment from a Coca-Cola spokeswoman, who said that bans on single-use plastic bottles are never the answer, and that recycling would resolve the problem. What does Coca-Cola propose to do, place recycling stations every 50 feet in the wilderness? Those bottles aren’t being tossed because people refuse to recycle. They’re littering the trails because too many people find it too hard to pack out an empty bottle that weighs in at a few grams…
[continues in the LA Times]
