‘They lied’: plastics producers deceived public about recycling, report reveals

www.theguardian.com

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Aw geez, oh no. Wasn't it disclosed years ago or did turn out the stuff they did not lie about last time they actually did lie about?
- It’s lies, all the way down.
  Recycling is not a solution because it only prolongs the time until the plastic is disposed of. So yes, even the plastic that is actually recyclable can only be recycled a limited number of times I believe is the new old lie.
But when I speak of it, people act like I wear a tinfoil. I hate that most people who speak about it are complete recycling denialists though. Glass and metal can be recycled wonderfully. Paper is a fine waste as it can just naturally decompose in a nature neutral way afaik. Plastic is bad bad. Ban it on gov level kind of bad. Just enforce for rent reusable packages. People will get used to it. In cases where it really is proven plastic cannot be avoided, allow it, but only as the last resort, e.g. plastic straws for disabled people should be allowed.
- I mean same goes for eating meat. Yeah i love animals, and eating meat is really bad for the animals and the climate, but... There is no but.
  
  I've been vegan since I was 17. Shit, 10 years is coming not so far from now.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Industry insiders over the past several decades have variously referred to plastic recycling as “uneconomical”, said it “cannot be considered a permanent solid waste solution”, and said it “cannot go on indefinitely”, the revelations show.
The authors say the evidence demonstrates that oil and petrochemical companies, as well as their trade associations, may have broken laws designed to protect the public from misleading marketing and pollution.
An internal 1986 report from the trade association the Vinyl Institute noted that “recycling cannot be considered a permanent solid waste solution [to plastics], as it merely prolongs the time until an item is disposed of”.
Two years ago, California’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, publicly launched an investigation into fossil fuel and petrochemical producers “for their role in causing and exacerbating the global plastics pollution crisis”.
A toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, last February also catalyzed a movement demanding a ban on vinyl chloride, a carcinogen used to make plastic.
In 2023, New York state also filed a lawsuit against PepsiCo, saying its single-use plastics violate public nuisance laws, and that the company misled consumers about the effectiveness of recycling.
The original article contains 1,225 words, the summary contains 188 words. Saved 85%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

10 comments