The plastics battle is on:
Acrylonitrile loses round 1
Soft drinks, tires, textiles all join in ruckus
NEW YORK (AP) — You might
have thought plastic beverage
bottles were banned this month by
the Food and Drug Administra
tion (FDA) because ingredients in
the plastic might be linked to can
cerous lesions.
You were wrong. Industry
sources expect about a quarter
billion of them to be on store
shelves by the end of the year and
estimate that two years from now
the figure will be more than two
billion.
The explanation lies in the plas
tic. On Sept. 20 the FDA banned
acrylonitrile, but it said nothing
about polyester. The latter has a
different chemical makeup, while
presenting no different appear
ance to the untrained eye.
The FDA decision means ac
rylonitrile bottles must be off the
market by the end of the year, al
though spokesmen for that
agency say all such bottle may al
ready have been removed from
circulation.
That might be the end of one
scene, but it's where the play re
ally gets interesting — where a
cast of characters interfaces:
Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, chemical
companies, a big tire concern, the
liquor and textile industries, en
vironmentalists, the stock market
and, as they say, many, many
more.
The curtain lifts with the soft
drink companies seeking a safe,
shatterproof, easily recyclable
bottle. At first, failure: the
economics weren’t favorable.
Then the trend to larger “family
size” bottles made plastic feasi
ble.
Pepsi-Cola chose polyester.
Coca-Cola chose acrylonitrile.
Pepsi won, you might say, while
Coke lost. Pepsi already has in
troduced its product in 11 states.
Coca-Cola shares fell a half
point immediately after the deci
sion.
With what some industry
sources say was amazing speed,
Coca-Cola adjusted to the new
situation and now plans to intro
duce its own polyester bottle Oct
3 and that’s where the big tire
company rolls on stage.
Goodyear has been reinforcing
its tires with polyester cord since
1963 and for even longer has
been making the resin for those
boilabie vegetable pouches you
might have used. It is the pre
eminent polyester resin maker,
supplying Amoco Chemical, Con
ten intal Can and Owens-Illinois.
Without stressing the obvious,
let it be said Goodyear was very
happy to accept the new busi
ness. The textile industry, you
see, is said to be awash in some
synethtic fibers, mainly polyester.
A new market was welcome.
Meanwhile, other liquid pro
ducts manufacturers have be
come interested. Goodyear says
a great deal of interest has been
expressed by the liquor industry.
Same with beer companies, al
though FDA clearance has not yet
been forthcoming.
The environmentals during this
time have been standing just be
hind the curtains, observing it all
but as yet not offering any conclu
sive judgments. The polyester
-- >
Minnesota lawmakers
survey state bottle bill
SALEM (AP) — Eleven legislators from Minnesota will check
out Oregon today for roadside litter.
The Minnesota lawmakers represent two legislative commit
tees considering introducing a bill similar to Oregon's Bottle Bill,
which has been in effect since 1972.
Gov. Bob Straub will lead the Minnesota lawmakers on a one
hour bus trip around Salem at 10:30 a.m.
An aide to Straub said they will stop and look into roadside
ditches to hunt for bottles and cans.
On Thursday, they will meet with industry and labor representa
tives at the Portland Sheraton Hotel and will meet later with
members of the Oregon Liquor Control Commission.
Under the Oregon law, no non-returnable beer or soft drink
cans may be sold. Throw-awav openers are prohibited. The metal
pull-tabs recently were banned for fruit juice cans as well.
On beer and soft drink containers, the minimum deposit and
refund is two cents for small bottles and five cents for cans and the
large, party-size bottles.
V.
bottle, they note with suspicion, is
a throwaway — throwaways litter.
Goodyear says that won t be so.
The 32-ounce and 64-ounce bot
tles for which polyester is being
used aren't the kind you purchase
along the roadside, it says. And, it
stresses, they re recyclable.
Lest you not understand the
significance of that, Thomas
Minter, Goodyear executive vice
The E.M.U. Cultural Forum Presents
David Syrotiak’s
NATIONAL
MARIONETTE THEATRE
September 29 September 30
"CIRCUS” "ART OF THE PUPPETEER”
A Childrens Show An Adult Show
EMU Ballroom EMU Ballroom
8:30 p.m. 8:30 p.m.
A Free Workshop Thursday, Sept. 29
PLUS* Room 167-EMU 11:00 a.m.
Tickets:
50p for children under 12 $1.50 U of O students $2.00 general public
Available at the EMU main desk
Presented in conjunction with the Western States Arts Foundation,
Oregon Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts
♦ & £**1'1£ * z'T £* zoj* #
| BK&y Music Association J
^ 1977-78 Season Information ^
SEASON TICKET
PRICES
Students
(with jurhori/fJ stu.U m U»*!\ t.ir.l*
Reserved seats
Adults.
00
SIS 00
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REMEMBER—
Admission by
season ticket
ONLY!
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Season tickets available from EAiU Alain Desk
Alonday. 26th thru Saturday, October 1 Only
For nun information contact the EUMA office - 344-/46/
i# ^ ^ ^ ^
Pacro 94
president research and develop
ment, intones these unforgettable
lines:
"The polyester bottle you drink
from today could be the pants you
wear tomorrow '
A show-stealer, he will not be
stopped: "Just 12 half-gallon bot
tles could provide enough fabric
for a pair of pants. Add 18 more
and you've got a vest and jacket to
match.
Including production costs, he
continues, recycled polyester is
considerably less expensive than
the virgin material. But why recy
cle at all — why not affix a deposit
charge to the purchase and have
the bottles returned7
Out of the questrion, he replies
The purification process demands
reheating and when you reheat a
polyester bottle it loses its shape
And so, for the time being, the
polyester curtain falls. But there
might be more. Monsanto, which
makes acrylonitrile, declares the
FDA decision unwarranted And
that could mean a courtroom
scene to follow
f*LASS!FlEPS
(Continued from Page 23)
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