LOS ANGELES (KTLA) – Los Angeles County announced Wednesday that it filed a lawsuit against PepsiCo and Coca-Cola accusing them of deceiving the public about the recyclability and environmental impact of their plastic bottles. This lawsuit also accuses the companies of failing to disclose significant environmental and health harms associated with plastic containers. “The lawsuit alleges that Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have mispresented the environmental impact of plastic beverage containers, claiming that they are ‘recyclable’ despite knowing that plastics cannot be readily disposed of without associated environmental impacts,” county officials wrote in a news release. Do you enjoy ‘dirty soda’? Regularly consuming the trendy drink is ‘risky,’ dietitian says In addition to plastic waste, the lawsuit said greenhouse gas emissions from the production of the bottles have negatively impacted and threatened all county residents. “Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, collectively, own dozens of beverage brands, including Coke, Pepsi, Dasani, Smartwater, Fanta, Aquafina, Gatorade, 7-Up, Sprite, Vitamin Water, and Mountain Dew,” the county said in the release. “Given their significant share of the beverage market, the two companies have been ranked as the world’s top plastic polluters for five consecutive years, with no meaningful accountability for their plastic pollution.” The county alleges that the two major companies “engaged in a disinformation campaign,” leading consumers to believe their single-use plastic bottles are environmentally reasonable. By allegedly promoting the creation of a “circular economy,” L.A. County said Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are giving customers the impression that recycling can offset the harm associated with single-use plastic bottles. “However, in reality, plastic bottles can only be recycled once, if at all, making promises of a ‘circular economy’ impossible,” wrote the county. Included in the lawsuit is a request for restitution for consumers and civil penalties of up to $2,500 per violation.  Do you say ‘pop’ or ‘soda’? Regional dialect across the U.S. explained The lawsuit, available to view here, was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by County Counsel Dawyn R. Harrison on behalf of the People of the State of California. Nexstar's KTLA has reached out to both PepsiCo and the Coca-Cola Company for a response.