Day 246 - 09 May 96 - Page 58


     
     1
     2   Q.   That is correct.
     3        A.  OK.
     4
     5   Q.   If you look on the right-hand side of that page it says
     6        "with the hard reality of today's decreasing land-fill
     7        space" -- this is in America -- "recycling has become a
     8        vital part of effective waste management because it
     9        provides another way of eliminating another item of solid
    10        waste extreme, what may not be commonly known is that
    11        polystyrene foam packaging is a 100 per cent recyclable.
    12        In fact, it is the only over-the-counter food package that
    13        is currently being recycled".  This is in the USA, and then
    14        it goes down the page and it says in the next paragraph,
    15        "McDonald's launched the largest ever polystyrene
    16        recycling programme in 1989 involving more than 450 of our
    17        restaurants in the New England area", etcetera.  Do you
    18        know what happened to the polystyrene recycling programme
    19        in the USA?  I think Mr. Langdon or Mr. Beavers has told us
    20        that only ten restaurants out of 10,000 were now recycling
    21        products?
    22        A.  I do not know, I am not familiar with what they
    23        currently do in the US with this project.
    24
    25   Q.   Right.  We can put that away.  Thank you very much.  What
    26        do you know about the dispute in Kassel, Germany, over the
    27        tax brought in on disposable McDonald's packaging -- well,
    28        on all disposable packaging?
    29        A.  I have no German responsibilities.
    30
    31   MR. RAMPTON:  It has not even been proved.  The witness that was
    32        called by the Defendants, my Lord, to deal with that topic
    33        distinctly accepted in cross-examination that she had no
    34        direct evidence or knowledge of it.
    35
    36   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I think Mr. Morris is hoping that Mr. Preston
    37        might.
    38
    39   MR. MORRIS:  Yes.  I mean, it says us having to call or get a
    40        Civil Evidence Act notice from the witness in Germany about
    41        the issue.  I am sure McDonald's have monitored the
    42        situation.
    43
    44   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Do you know about Kassel, taxes, waste
    45        disposal there?
    46        A.  No, Germany in general has been enacting -- some of the
    47        communities have been attempting to enact taxation laws on
    48        packaging.  As to Kassel specifically, what they have done,
    49        how much, where, who did it, what it is supposed to affect,
    50        I do not know.  I am sorry.  That is not a new phenomena in 
    51        Germany. 
    52 
    53   MR. MORRIS:  So, local authorities in Germany, some of them,
    54        have been enacting a taxation on disposable packaging which
    55        affects McDonald's restaurants, it applies to McDonald's
    56        restaurants and others?
    57        A.  It applies, yes, unless they have got a waiver of some
    58        kind, but again I cannot comment on it, I do not know the
    59        details.
    60

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