COCA-Cola Amatil has won the right to dismantle a Northern Territory recycling scheme, but not before it got nasty and called in the cops.

Earlier today, Clean Up Australia chairman Ian Kiernan led a small group of environmental activists including Greenpeace CEO David Ritter and 'Total Environment Centre chief Jeff Angel in trying to dump 4,000 beverage containers at Coke's Sydney headquarters.



The containers had been collected on Clean Up Australia day on the weekend, and were a symbol of the litter which would accumulate if Coke overturned the NT recycling scheme.



Coke didn't think much of the reminder, calling in eight members of the NSW police to block the small band of high-profile protesters



"We were trying to say to Coke ‘here are 4000 of your containers collected on Clean Up Australia day'," Jeff Angel told news.com.au.



"Coke's opposition to a container deposit scheme allows this littering to continue."



Police had other ideas, threatening to arrest the group for... wait for it... littering if they left the beverage containers at Coke's North Sydney headquarters.



The protest and today's court decision dates back to January 4, 2012, when the Northern Territory introduced a deposit system to encourage people to recycle cans and bottles.

Coca-Cola Amatil, along with Schweppes Australia and Lion Pty Ltd, were not impressed with the scheme and took it to the Federal Court.



Coke argued the scheme was a failure, with only 33 per cent of containers recycled.



But Ian Kiernan and others believe the real reason for the beverage giants' opposition to the scheme was that they didn't like the extra 10 cents added to the retail price.



Coca-Cola Amatil said "container deposit schemes have consistently been found to be the most expensive and inefficient method of increasing recycling rates."

It added "Australian families do not deserve to be slugged with yet another cost of living increase that will push grocery prices up when there are cheaper and equally effective alternatives on the table.

But a spokesman from Greenpeace, Reece Turner, said it was an absurdity for Coke to talk about cost of living issues when consumers get a refund.

"It is the height of corporate arrogance, and any claims Coke makes in future about sustainability have been completely trashed."