Subj : Plastic makers lied about recycling for decades. What do we do ne To : All From : PopularScience-Climate-Change Date : Wed Feb 28 2024 15:15:06 Plastic makers lied about recycling for decades. What do we do next? Date: Wed, 28 Feb 2024 15:00:00 +0000 Description: Most plastic is either landfilled or burnedjust about 9 percent is ever recycled. E+/Getty The plastic industry pushed recycling as a solution to waste, while internally dismissing it as technically and economically unviable. The post Plastic makers lied about recycling for decades. What do we do next? appeared first on Popular Science . FULL STORY ====================================================================== Most plastic is either landfilled or burnedjust about 9 percent is ever recycled. E+/Getty For decades, plastic producers knowingly misled the public about the feasibility of plastic recycling, according to a recent study by the Center for Climate Integrity. The non-profits report details how the plastic industry marketed recycling as a solution to plastic waste for decades, all while dismissing it internally as both technically and economically unviable. This may be a tough pill to swallow for those who grew up hearing about the virtues of plastic in ad campaigns (see: plastics make it possible ). However, statistically, most plastic is either landfilled or burnedjust about 9 percent is ever recycled , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, an intergovernmental group. Crucially, the Center for Climate Integritys report is about plastic recyclingnot all recycling. Other materials, such as paper and glass, statistically fare better when you toss them in the recycling bin. More than 68 percent of paper and paperboard was recycled in the U.S., according to 2018 EPA data, while glass has a recycling rate of about 31.3 percent . The American Plastics Councils 1997 ad, Plastics Makes It Possible, features children extolling the virtues of plastics. The Center for Climate Integritys study pins the blame not on consumers, who typically shoulder such criticism, but instead on oil and gas companies and the plastic industry itself. The industrys actions effectively protected and expanded plastic markets, the report states, while stalling legislative or regulatory action that would meaningfully address plastic waste and pollution. In the 1950s, the plastics industry began churning out single-use plastics in a bid to boost profits. This shift to disposables, as the report puts it, created a waste problem, and the plastic industry promoted landfilling and incineration in response. By the 1980s and 1990s, however, the industry faced growing backlash from consumers over plastic waste and legislation to limit the sale of single-use plastics. According to the Center for Climate Integritys report, the industry invested in extensive campaigns to sidestep such bans, convincing the public that recycling was the solution. As a result, worldwide plastic production rose from 2 million tonnes to 120 million tonnes annually from 1950 and 1990, per a Our World in Data report. And its soared ever since, hitting 459 million tonnes per year in 2019. The resulting plastic pollution is now everywhere from the Mariana Trench and Mount Everest to the air we breathe and the food we eat . [Plastic] recycling cannot be considered a permanent solid waste solution, as it merely pro-longs the time until an item is disposed of. Since its publication earlier this month, the non-profits research has struck a nerve on social media , as users highlighted the sheer candidness of the insiders quotes cited in the report. [Plastic] recycling cannot be considered a permanent solid waste solution, as it merely pro-longs the time until an item is disposed of, a 1986 report by Vinyl Institute, an industry trade group, noted. Eight years later, an Exxon staffer is quoted as saying the oil company is committed to the activities, but not committed to the results of plastic recyclingimplying the firm is more invested in the optics than the outcomes of recycling. In the Center for Climate Integritys report, a bevy of quotes such as these contrast ads published by the plastics industry and related special-interest groups, which perennially boast of advancements in plastic recycling and reinforce the idea of bottles coming back again and again. For most plastic waste, however, this concept of plastic circularity isnt actually reality. Chelsea Linsley, a co-author of the Center for Climate Integritys report, offered a blunt summation of the studys conclusions in a call with PopSci . These companies have deceived the public and they should be held accountable, she said. That is ultimately the message that we want consumers to hear. The best outcome, according to Linsley, is that the report serves as a tool for regulatory inquiries and lawsuits. As an example of such action, Linsley cited California Attorney General Rob Bontas 2022 investigation into the plastic industrys marketing efforts , which Bonta characterized as an aggressive campaign to deceive the public. In statements to the press, the Plastics Industry Association dismissed the Center for Climate Integritys report. As is typical, instead of working together towards actual solutions to address plastic waste, groups like CCI choose to level political attacks instead of constructive solutions, the Plastics Industry Association told the Guardian reporter Dharna Noor, who first covered the report on February 15. The Guardian points to the needle moving with EPAs health review and potential ban of carcinogenic plastic ingredient vinyl chloride after the toxic train derailment in East Palestine , a California investigation into fossil fuel and petrochemical producers role in causing and exacerbating the global plastics pollution crisis, and last years New York states lawsuit against PepsiCo for misleading recycling claims. The latest demanding report could lead to similar efforts. These companies have deceived the public and they should be held accountable. Crucially, the problem of plastic recycling is not new. Were just still having a reckoning, Dan Coffee , an environmental policy researcher at UCLA who was not involved in the Center for Climate Integritys report, told PopSci .. While recent studies and Chinas 2017 decision to limit plastic waste imports have served to unmasked problems, plastic recycling was always viewed as a public relations strategy by the industries that are responsible for the greatest amount of plastic production and plastic waste, Coffee said. Should you still recycle plastic waste? Plastics are a unique challenge for recyclingreally entirely unlike any other material, said Davis Allen, a co-author on the Center for Climate Integritys plastics report, in a call with PopSci . Most plastics can only be recycled a few times before becoming too brittle. According to the study, the fossil fuel-derived chemicals that form the basis of plastic are vulnerable to heat and other processes used in recycling. As the chemicals degrade, they lose their quality and integrity, making recycled resins unsuitable for many manufacturers. In other words, plastic becomes brittle when its recycled repeatedly . Different forms of plastic also cant be recycled together. These shortcomings limit the materials potential for reuse. Recycle your bottles and jugs: Overall, the EPA found in 2018 that just 8.7 percent of plastics were recycled in the U.S. Yet, certain types of plastic containerssoda and water bottles ( PET 1 ) and milk jugs ( HDPE 2 ) in particularhave a higher likelihood of being recycled. As for the other stuff, the vast, vast majority of plastic packaging that we use has no chance of being recycled, said Allen. Call your local authorities: If youre wondering how to proceed with this knowledge, one place to start is to check on what your local municipal recycling program currently accepts, suggested Coffee. There are no federal agencies that currently handle recycling and the EPA is not involved. However, you may get some answers on a more local level with state and city offices. Municipalities are getting a lot better about being realistic about what their providers can and cannot handle, although that varies by geography, Coffee cautioned. Try to use less plastic: You could also try your best to avoid single-use plastics. Allen said in a call with PopSci that he avoids them as much as possible, and carries around a reusable water bottle with him. Still, the researcher argues that consumers should resist the urge to shift the blame onto themselves. None of us have the option of avoiding plastic, and thats by design, he said. That was the industrys goal when they began pushing disposable plastics in the 1950s and 1960s, and its remained their goal ever since, Allen added. Watch for lawsuits, investigations, and bans: Coffee offered a similar message to consumers, contrasting the messaging theyve seen and heard around plastic recycling for decades. Its much more important to focus on systemic solutions, he said, rather than the daily choices of individuals, which will have a very marginal impact on this issue. The post Plastic makers lied about recycling for decades. What do we do next? appeared first on Popular Science . Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. ====================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.popsci.com/environment/recycling-lies/ --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64) * Origin: tqwNet Science News (1337:1/100) .