Baltimore is going after the largest beverage makers in the world along with a pair of smaller local businesses in a new lawsuit alleging environmental harm by single-use plastics.
And one of those smaller companies is calling the legal action a "slap in the face."
Both Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. are named in the June 20 suit filed by the city in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City. PepsiCo subsidiary Frito Lay, which makes snacks, is also named in the suit.
Baltimore also sued W.R. Grace & Co., a maker of catalysts used in plastics, and Polymershapes Baltimore, one of more than 80 sites in North America for plastics products distributor Polymershapes, according to a local news report.
But Baltimore also has elected to sue Adell Plastics Inc., a compounder in an unincorporated area outside of city limits in Baltimore County, as well as Mercury Plastics MD, a thermoformer in Baltimore, the local report indicated.
The city said the lawsuit is against beverage makers and "plastic manufacturing companies for their significant roles in creating a plastic pollution crisis."
Carl Livesay is general manager at Mercury Plastics. He is not happy about the city's move.
"We learned today that we were named in the lawsuit filed June 20 by the city of Baltimore. As a new business in Baltimore, we were shocked and disappointed. A copy of the lawsuit is being sought so we can more clearly understand the case. If the information reported by the press is accurate, the lawsuit is absurd and frankly a slap in the face considering the multimillion-dollar investment Mercury Plastics has made in Baltimore city since our arrival in November 2020," he said in an email.
"I am hopeful that those responsible were simply misinformed and that Baltimore city will reconsider their position as soon as the facts are brought to light. Mercury Plastics MD is passionate about our people, recycling, sustainability and energy conservation. We are very proud of our team, and we are a conscientious and responsible corporation," he said.
Mayor Brandon M. Scott said this about the legal action: "We are continuously working to make Baltimore a greener, more resilient city that is ready to take on the climate challenges facing the entire world and one that prioritizes the health of our residents."
"We are taking proactive steps ... and working in partnership with environmental organizations in the region to do what we're capable of to improve the health and cleanliness of our city. But when bad corporate actors have harmed our city's land and water, they must be held accountable, and that's what this suit is designed to do," he alleged.
A representative from Adell Plastics could not be reached for immediate comment June 21, but he told the Baltimore Sun he was not sure why his company was named in the lawsuit.
Baltimore's legal move follows a similar lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James in 2023 against PepsiCo alleging environmental harm due to single-use plastics packaging.