Several Greenpeace activists have been arrested after scaling Sydney’s iconic Coca-Cola billboard to protest the government's failure to implement a drinks can recycling scheme.
Police closed the streets and crowds gathered to watch on Wednesday morning as police removed the climbers from the sky high sign.
Greenpeace Australia Pacific released a statement saying the protest was “to urge NSW Premier Mike Baird to stand up to soft drink giant Coca-Cola by adopting a world’s-best recycling scheme for drink bottles and cans”.
A NSW Police spokesperson told HuffPost Australia five of the climbers had been arrested and were assisting police.
The Greenpeace statement revealed the group planned on posting a giant banner over the famous landmark that read: “Stop Coke Trashing Australia” before police intervened.
The environmental group is urging the government to introduce a container deposit system in NSW that would be similar to the South Australian system where 10c was returned to consumers for every drink can and bottle recycled.