The method of recycling plastic waste has been promoted for 50 years.
The Center for Climate Integrity (CCI) report shows that big oil companies and the plastics industry have known for decades that this was not a technically or economically feasible solution.
This report exposes deceptive marketing and public education campaigns used to promote plastics as recyclable, despite knowing that this is not a viable solution.
The report says these strategies have allowed the single-use plastics industry to expand while avoiding regulations that would effectively address waste and pollution issues.
"Plastic recycling cannot be considered a permanent solid waste solution because it only prolongs the time items are disposed of," wrote a 1986 report by the Vinyl Institute (VI), an industry trade group.
Roy Gottesman, the organization's founding director, reiterated the issue at a 1989 conference, warning, "Recycling cannot continue indefinitely and does not solve the solid waste problem."
Why is plastic so difficult to recycle?
There are thousands of different types of plastic in everyday products, it’s expensive to collect and sort, it also degrades after one or two uses, and becomes more toxic each time it’s repurposed.
Despite this knowledge, oil and plastics companies continue their activities to promote recycling.
Internal records from American Plastics Council (APC) staff acknowledge that recycled plastics cannot compete with virgin materials. "In the near future, raw supply will increase significantly and impact the price of PCR (post-consumer recycled materials)," they wrote.
Is plastic still worth recycling?
The best way to reduce plastic pollution is to avoid single-use plastics altogether, however, recycling plastics at home is still better than throwing them away.
Around 91 TP3T of the plastic waste generated globally each year is successfully recycled, and with many companies committing to using recycled plastic in their products, it could find a use.
According to the European Circular Economy Plastics Strategy, the goal is to produce 10 million tons of recycled plastic in the EU by 2025, while Europe generates nearly 26 million tons of plastic waste every year.
References:
euronews.green (2024.02.16) , Plastic industry knew recycling was a farce for decades yet deceived the public, report reveals
