Day 293 - 04 Nov 96 - Page 15
1 the environment, et cetera, et cetera.
2
3 MR. JUSTICE BELL: The bit in the left-hand margin beneath the
4 3 is the kind of statement I was asking could you provide
5 for me.
6
7 MR. MORRIS: Oh, I did not realise.
8
9 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Do you see, in the box in the left-hand
10 margin?
11
12 MR. MORRIS: You mean underneath the 3?
13
14 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes.
15
16 MR. MORRIS: "McDonald's is the largest user of recycled paper
17 in the restaurant industry", is that the one?
18
19 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes.
20
21 MR. MORRIS: That is what we were saying about impression. You
22 would get the feeling in 1989 that the whole company is
23 committed to, you know, use of recycled paper. And you can
24 note in that box that Happy Meal boxes did not have really
25 recycled content at that time.
26
27 Then if you look at the box next to that, starting with the
28 word "technology": Technology to support plastic recycling
29 has advanced to the point where polystyrene foam products
30 can be reduced to basic resins, et cetera, et cetera. Then
31 it goes into that in great detail. Then it concludes in
32 that box: Plastic foam recycling is an important new
33 development in the effort to reduce solid waste.
34
35 So, I mean, everything we have heard, when they are trying
36 to defend plastic packaging they always justify it in terms
37 of the recycleability of it, when in fact none of it is
38 being recycled.
39
40 Then if you look at the top right-hand corner of that page,
41 the first full paragraph: Most importantly, recycling is a
42 popular concept ----
43
44 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Just pause a moment, please. (Pause) Top
45 right-hand corner?
46
47 MR. MORRIS: Top right-hand corner, the first full paragraph:
48 Most importantly, recycling is a popular concept and
49 something that everybody can do. Then it says about polls
50 showing substantial majority who are in favour of
51 compulsory recycling programmes in their communities.
52
53 So here we have public support, something that is easy,
54 something that McDonald's recognise is absolutely essential
55 for the protection of the environment, something which they
56 are not doing even now, but certainly were giving the
57 impression that they were committed to.
58
59 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Did I hear any evidence about the - I cannot
60 remember now - the polystyrene recycling programme in New
