N.Y. Judge Dismisses State’s Plastic Pollution Lawsuit Against PepsiCo, Frito-Lay

BUFFALO, N.Y. — A New York judge has dismissed a lawsuit in which New York’s attorney general accused PepsiCo Inc. and its subsidiary Frito-Lay of contributing to the pollution of the state’s rivers and public drinking water with their single-use plastic waste, ruling that the companies cannot be held liable for the actions of third parties under the state’s nuisance laws.

On Nov. 13, Judge Emilio Colaiacovo of the Erie County (N.Y.) Superior Court, explained that the companies have no control over people who choose to throw their packaging into the river, ruling that “imposing civil liability on a manufacturer …