The Truth About Plastic Recycling: A Report Exposes the Industry’s Fraud

Plastic recycling has been promoted as a solution to the plastic waste crisis for decades. But how effective is it really? A new report by the The Center for Climate Integrity (CCI) reveals that plastic recycling is a fraud perpetrated by the fossil fuel and petrochemical industry to deceive the public and avoid regulation.

The report, titled “The Fraud of Plastic Recycling: How Big Oil and the plastics industry deceived the public for decades and caused the plastic waste crisis”, shows that plastic producers have known since the 1970s that recycling is not technically or economically viable at scale. Yet, they have continued to market plastic as recyclable and invest in campaigns to shift the responsibility of plastic waste management to consumers and governments.

The report draws on newly unearthed industry documents, as well as existing research, to expose the extent of this deception. Some of the key findings include:

• Plastic recycling rates are extremely low. Only 9% of all plastic ever produced has been recycled, and only 2% of plastic packaging is effectively recycled. The rest ends up in landfills, incinerators, or the environment.
• Plastic recycling is costly and inefficient. Recycling plastic requires sorting, cleaning, and processing, which consumes more energy and resources than producing new plastic. Moreover, plastic degrades each time it is reused, limiting its recyclability.
• Plastic recycling does not reduce plastic production or consumption. The industry has used recycling as a way to justify and expand plastic production, while ignoring the need to reduce plastic use and waste. In fact, the industry plans to increase plastic production by 40% over the next decade, fueling more greenhouse gas emissions and pollution.
• Plastic recycling is not a solution to the plastic waste crisis. Plastic waste is a global threat to the environment and human health, as it contaminates the air, water, soil, and food chain. Plastic waste also contributes to climate change, as it releases greenhouse gases when it degrades or burns.

The report calls for holding the industry accountable for the damage it has caused and the fraud it has committed. It also urges policymakers and consumers to take action to reduce plastic production and consumption, and to support alternative solutions to the plastic waste crisis, such as reusable, refillable, and biodegradable products.

You can read the full report?here.

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