Coca-Cola bottles are believed to be responsible for 16% of plastic waste on UK beaches.

As part of the Million Mile Clean Week, an initiative launched by the charity Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) that aims to clean beaches, an analysis report has been produced indicating that Coca-Cola bottles are still the most common plastic waste found. on UK beaches, with the brand accounting for 16%, the highest percentage.

Faced with a worrying result that has remained almost identical to that published in 2019, activists want to alarm the famous soft drink brand, of which 16% of the plastic found on British coasts bears the Coke label, but also all the others beverage companies. , which use plastic as the main material of their packaging. “Coca-Cola, the world’s most popular soft drink, tops the rankings year after year,” he said. Surfers Against Sewage.

The 12 most polluting brands, often referred to as “Dirty Dozen” or “twelve villains”, account for a total of 65% of the waste found on English beaches. Thus, Coca-Cola is seconded by PepsiCo with 9%, the beer brand AB InBev occupies the third place with 8%, then McDonalds and Mondelez, both in fourth position with 5%. Heineken, Tesco, Carlsberg, Suntory, Haribo, Mars and Aldi are still in the chain.

Although activists have called for greater responsibility for waste by reducing packaging and encouraging a refill model, beverage companies have no control over how their products are handled, as soon as they leave the stores.

“Our annual brand audit has once again revealed the enormous amount of plastic and packaging contamination from large companies and some of their best-known brands,” said the organization’s chief executive, Hugo. Tagholm, after The independent.

Therefore, activists urge the government to speed up the establishment of a depository system to encourage recycling. Hugo Tagholm also argues that “the government must hold these companies to account and turn off the tap on the plastic and packaging pollution that is flooding the ocean.”

And on Twitter he points to those responsible and explains that “it is not possible to allow polluting industries to turn away from their own harmful behavior and blame the individual”, the CEO of SAS demands that action be taken now.

While SAS is asking companies like Coca-Cola to reduce their packaging and move to a refill model, in which consumers can refill the containers instead of buying a new plastic bottle, the Coca-Cola spokesman said the company “He cares like everyone else about reducing packaging.” waste.”

However, he admits “that it is disappointing to see containers full of garbage on the beaches”, but for the moment, the brand relies mainly on the recycling system and claims to work with organizations to promote this method. “All of our packaging is 100% recyclable and our goal is to recover more so that they can be recycled and become new packaging,” he insists before adding “that support the introduction of ‘a well-designed deposit system that will encourage people rather than throw away ‘.