Recycling plastic waste has been promoted for 50 years,
but a report by the Center for Climate Integrity (CCI) shows that major oil companies and the plastics industry have known for decades that it is not a technically or economically viable solution.
The report exposes deceptive marketing and public education campaigns used to promote plastic recycling, despite knowing it is not a viable solution.
The report claims these strategies have enabled the single-use plastics industry to expand while avoiding regulations that would effectively address waste and pollution.
"Plastic recycling cannot be considered a permanent solution to solid waste because it only prolongs the time it takes for items to be disposed of," wrote the Vinyl Institute (VI), an industry trade group, in a 1986 report.
Roy Gottesman, the organization's founding director, reiterated the issue at a 1989 conference, warning that "recycling cannot continue indefinitely and will not solve the solid waste problem."
Why is plastic so difficult to recycle?
There are thousands of different types of plastic in everyday products, and collecting and sorting them is expensive. Plastic also degrades after one or two uses, becoming more toxic each time it's repurposed.
Despite this knowledge, oil and plastics companies continue their campaigns to promote recycling.
Internal notes from American Plastics Council (APC) staff acknowledge that recycled plastic cannot compete with virgin material. They write, "In the near future, virgin supply will increase significantly and impact the price of PCR (post-consumer recycled material)."
Is plastic still worth recycling?
The best way to reduce plastic pollution is to avoid single-use plastics altogether, however, recycling plastic at home is still better than throwing it away.
About 9% of the plastic waste generated globally each year is successfully recycled, and with many companies pledging to use recycled plastic in their products, it could find uses.
According to the European Strategy for a Circular Economy in Plastics, the goal is to produce 10 million tonnes of recycled plastic in the EU by 2025, while Europe generates nearly 26 million tonnes of plastic waste each year.
References：
euronews.green (2024.02.16) ，Plastic industry knew recycling was a farce for decades yet deceived the public, report reveals
