NEW YORK (AFP) – Coca-Cola will soon begin selling sodas in completely recycled plastic in the United States for the first time, the beverage giant said on Tuesday (Feb 9).

The initial items will be introduced this month in a group of states that includes California and Florida, for items such as Coke and Diet Coke in 13.2-ounce bottles (390ml) made from 100 per cent recycled plastic.

The company – which has been n amed a top plastic polluter by a leading NGO – will distribute additional soda and bottled water items from completely recycled packages in select markets this month and later this year.

The US is the 19th market worldwide where Coca-Cola now sells item entirely made of recycled packaging, the company said on its website.

The new measures amount to a 20 per cent reduction in the company’s use of new plastic across North America compared to 2018.

Concerns about plastic waste “continue to be top of mind for our consumers,” said Alpa Sutaria, vice-president for sustainability in North America, adding that the steps unveiled Tuesday are “a major milestone in a large and complex market.”

Coca-Cola has set a target of using at least 50 per cent recycled content in packaging by 2030.

In December, the group Break Free From Plastic placed Coca-Cola, along with PepsiCo and Nestle, as the world’s “top plastic polluters” for the third year in a row and called on the groups to end single-use plastic packaging worldwide.

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