New York sues PepsiCo in effort to hold it responsible for litter that winds up in rivers

By MAYSOON KHAN
Associated Press/Report for America

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state has sued PepsiCo in an effort to hold the soda-and-snack food giant partly responsible for litter that winds up in bodies of water that supply the city of Buffalo with drinking water. The lawsuit, filed in state Supreme Court by Attorney General Letitia James, accuses the company and its Frito-Lay subsidiaries of creating a public nuisance by making a huge number of plastic bottles and wrappers, some of which inevitably wind up falling or blowing into the Buffalo River after they are discarded by customers. PepsiCo said it was serious about “plastic reduction and effective recycling.” It didn’t directly comment on the lawsuit’s claim that it was legally responsible for keeping garbage out of the Buffalo River.