Australian Council of Recycling (ACOR)’s Post

The Guardian - Dharna Noor — ‘Big oil uncovered: ‘They lied’: plastics producers deceived public about recycling, report reveals. Companies knew for decades recycling was not viable but promoted it regardless, Center for Climate Integrity study finds Plastic producers have known for more than 30 years that recycling is not an economically or technically feasible plastic waste management solution. That has not stopped them from promoting it, according to a new report. “The companies lied,” said Richard Wiles, president of fossil-fuel accountability advocacy group the Center for Climate Integrity (CCI), which published the report. “It’s time to hold them accountable for the damage they’ve caused.” Plastic, which is made from oil and gas, is notoriously difficult to recycle. Doing so requires meticulous sorting, since most of the thousands of chemically distinct varieties of plastic cannot be recycled together. That renders an already pricey process even more expensive. Another challenge: the material degrades each time it is reused, meaning it can generally only be reused once or twice. The industry has known for decades about these existential challenges, but obscured that information in its marketing campaigns, the report shows. The research draws on previous investigations as well as newly revealed internal documents illustrating the extent of this decades-long campaign. 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. Single-use plastics In the 1950s, plastic producers came up with an idea to ensure a continually growing market for their products: disposability. “They knew if they focused on single-use [plastics] people would buy and buy and buy,” said Davis Allen, investigative researcher at the CCI and the report’s lead author. At a 1956 industry conference, the Society of the Plastics Industry, a trade group, told producers to focus on “low cost, big volume” and “expendability” and to aim for materials to end up “in the garbage wagon”. (Society of Plastics is nowknown as the Plastics Industry Association. Plastics Industry Association was not immediately available for comment.) Over the following decades, the industry told the public that plastics can easily be tossed into landfills or burned in garbage incinerators. But in the 1980s, as municipalities began considering bans on grocery bags and other plastic products, the industry began promoting a new solution: recycling. Recycling campaigns The industry has long known that plastics recycling is not economically or practically viable, the report shows.

Plastic producers have known for more than 30 years that recycling is not an economically or technically feasible #plasticwaste management solution. That has not stopped them from promoting it, according to a new report. “The companies lied,” said Richard Wiles, president of #fossilfuel accountability advocacy group the Center for Climate Integrity (#CCI), which published the report. “It’s time to hold them accountable for the damage they’ve caused.” Plastic, which is made from oil and gas, is notoriously difficult to recycle. Doing so requires meticulous sorting, since most of the thousands of chemically distinct varieties of #plastic cannot be recycled together. That renders an already pricey process even more expensive. Another challenge: the material degrades each time it is reused, meaning it can generally only be reused once or twice. The industry has known for decades about these existential challenges, but obscured that information in its marketing campaigns, the report shows. The research draws on previous investigations as well as newly revealed internal documents illustrating the extent of this decades-long campaign. Industry insiders over the past several decades have variously referred to #plasticrecycling 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. Single-use plastics In the 1950s, plastic producers came up with an idea to ensure a continually growing market for their products: disposability. “They knew if they focused on #singleuseplastics people would buy and buy and buy,” said Davis Allen, investigative researcher at the CCI and the report’s lead author. At a 1956 industry conference, the Society of the Plastics Industry, a trade group, told producers to focus on “low cost, big volume” and “expendability” and to aim for materials to end up “in the garbage wagon”. (Society of Plastics is now known as the Plastics Industry Association. Plastics Industry Association was not immediately available for comment?) Over the following decades, the industry told the public that plastics can easily be tossed into landfills or burned in garbage incinerators. But in the 1980s, asmunicipalities began considering bans on grocery bags and other #plasticproducts, the industry began promoting a new solution: recycling. Recycling campaigns The industry has long known that plastics recycling is not economically or practically viable, the report shows. 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”.

Debunking The Guardian and the Recycling Myth: The Truth About Plastic Producers ‘They lied’: plastics producers deceived public about recycling, report reveals https://hubs.li/Q02m_jtX0 In recent days, an alarming report by The Guardian has sent shockwaves through environmental circles. The accusation? That plastic producers have knowingly misled the public about recycling, perpetuating a false narrative for decades. It's another example of the propaganda machine that’s behind the campaign to “demonize plastic and any company associated with it.” Furthermore, it confirms that authors like @dharnanoor continue to write and spew lies while their articles and accusations go seemingly unchecked. Plastics can successfully be recycled. This is a fact. Laminated plastics are recycled to be used as regrind and filler for everything from lumber and construction materials (estimated $15.3 Billion in 2030) to the toy and game market (estimated $51 Billion in 2028). While single-layer plastics can be recycled and used again when added to other single-layer plastics of the same blend, new products can be made as well. This is hardly misleading anyone. The problem isn't the material—be it plastic, paper, or metal—it's our failing waste management system. In the U.S., inconsistent recycling laws across jurisdictions burden already stretched companies, leading to inefficient recycling and overflowing landfills. This systemic failure, not the materials themselves, is what needs addressing. Misinformation only exacerbates the issue, detracting from the real solutions needed for our waste and recycling challenges. The Path Forward: Hope Amidst Challenges: - Rethinking Recycling: Rather than vilifying the entire industry, let's encourage a shift in mindset. Recycling isn’t a panacea, but it remains a critical piece of the puzzle. We need smarter designs, better infrastructure, and consumer education. Let’s invest in technologies that extend plastic’s life cycle and minimize waste along with encouraging recycling when appropriate. - Collaboration and Innovation: Plastic producers, policymakers, and environmentalists must collaborate. We can’t afford finger-pointing; we need collective action. Innovations like biodegradable plastics, circular economy models, and extended producer responsibility can pave the way. Let’s hold our government accountable while fostering a spirit of hope by encouraging investment in new technologies and educating our young people about proper disposal and collection of trash (HINT…Litter isn’t an option). Remember, knowledge empowers us. Armed with the truth, we can steer the plastic ship toward a more sustainable horizon in conjunction with proper waste collection methods. 🌎🌱

#Plastic #Recycling #RichardWiles #CenterForClimateIntegrity #CCI #JudithEnck #BrianFrosh "Plastic producers have known for more than 30 years that recycling is not an economically or technically feasible plastic waste management solution. That has not stopped them from promoting it, according to a new report. “The companies lied,” said Richard Wiles, president of fossil-fuel accountability advocacy group the Center for Climate Integrity (CCI), which published the report. “It’s time to hold them accountable for the damage they’ve caused.” Plastic, which is made from oil and gas, is notoriously difficult to recycle. Doing so requires meticulous sorting, since most of the thousands of chemically distinct varieties of plastic cannot be recycled together. That renders an already pricey process even more expensive. Another challenge: the material degrades each time it is reused, meaning it can generally only be reused once or twice. The industry has known for decades about these existential challenges, but obscured that information in its marketing campaigns, the report shows. The research draws on previous investigations as well as newly revealed internal documents illustrating the extent of this decades-long campaign. 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. ... The public is also increasingly concerned about the climate impact of plastic production and disposal, which account for 3.4% of all global greenhouse-gas emissions. In recent years, two dozen cities and states have sued the oil industry for covering up the dangers of the climate crisis. Similarly taking the oil and petrochemical industries to court for “knowingly deceiving” the public, said Wiles, could force them to change their business models. “I think the first step in solving the problem is holding the companies accountable,” he said. Judith Enck, a former regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency and founder of the advocacy group Beyond Plastics, called the analysis “very solid”. “The report should be read by every attorney general in the nation and the Federal Trade Commission,” she said. Brian Frosh, the former attorney general for the state of Maryland, said the report includes the kind of evidence he would not normally expect to see until a lawsuit has already gone through a process of discovery. “If I were attorney general, based on what I read in CCI’s report, I’d feel comfortable pressing for an investigation and a lawsuit,” he said."

Petrochemical companies should be held accountable for the “devastating harms” they have caused by deceiving the public about the viability of plastics recycling, according to The Center for Climate Integrity (CCI). An explosive new report finds that the plastics industry has misled the public for decades about the viability of recycling plastic, promoting reuse despite the fact that mechanical recycling was not feasible – perpetuating the plastic waste crisis the world faces today. “The plastics industry has ‘sold’ plastic recycling to the American public to sell plastic,” according to the report by the Center for Climate Integrity (CCI), a nonprofit organization that advocates for legal action to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable. In a statement, CCI claims the study, called “The Fraud of Plastic Recycling: How Big Oil and the plastics industry deceived the public for decades and caused the plastic waste crisis,” includes “evidence that could provide the foundation for legal efforts to hold fossil fuel and other petrochemical companies accountable for their lies and deception.” Petrochemical companies and the plastics industry have known of the technical and economic limitations that make plastics unrecyclable for more than half a century, and “have failed to overcome them,” the report states. “Despite this knowledge, the plastics industry has continued to increase plastic production, while carrying out a well-coordinated campaign to deceive consumers, policymakers, and regulators about plastic recycling.” “This evidence shows that many of the same fossil fuel companies that knew and lied for decades about how their products cause climate change have also known and lied to the public about plastic recycling,” Richard Wiles, CCI’s president, said in a press release. “The oil industry’s lies are at the heart of the two most catastrophic pollution crises in human history.” Plastics manufacturers and industry groups, including some of the largest oil and gas companies in the world, have spent more than 50 years funding and pushing plastics recycling in order to stave off regulatory action – all while knowing that only a small fraction of plastic waste could ever be recycled. http://disq.us/t/4mv3jai

As the fourth round of UN-led negotiations around plastic pollution concludes in Ottawa , a world-first pact is said to be within reach by the end of 2024, but without a cap on polymer production which remains a major sticking point. In the background there's been some interesting updates in #plastic #recycling over the last week from key petrochemical, packaging and retail organisations ♻: LyondellBasell secures a location for a new integrated plastic recycling site in Knapsack, Germany. The hub will combine various sorting and recycling operations, producing feedstock for both mechanical and advanced recycling, removing waste from its current path to incineration for energy recovery. Targeting first sorting operations in 2026, the hub will support LYB's ambition to produce 2Mt/year of recycled/renewable-based polymers by 2030. (https://lnkd.in/dhqXJtDF) Borealis and OMV entered into a feedstock supply agreement with TOMRA, diverting mixed plastic waste away from landfill and incineration. OMV will process 29Kt/year of waste at their Austrian chemical recycling facility, and Borealis will process the feedstock at its mechanical recycling locations in Europe. (https://lnkd.in/dPR9npTc) Aldi UK becomes the first UK supermarket to move to 100% #rPET used for its own-brand soft drinks and water bottles. The shift to recycled PET will reduce virgin plastic consumption by 10Kt/year and contributes to the retailer's company-wide target of 50% recycled content in plastic packaging by 2025. (https://lnkd.in/dUzcgAii) CARBIOS has begun construction of the 'world's first' PET bio-recycling plant in Longlaville, France, which will process PET from packaging and textile waste using enzymatic depolymerisation. This form of chemical recycling can process multiple types of PET waste (coloured, multilayer, soiled, etc) and maintain material quality. At full capacity the plant will process 50Kt/year of prepared PET waste - strategically located in the Grand-Est region for access to feedstock supply. (https://lnkd.in/daWhqRUH) ALPLA Group's PET recycling facility in Southeast Mexico is scheduled to go online in July. The JV with Coca-Cola FEMSA is ALPLA's second Mexico-based recycling facility (HDPE site in Toluca) and will be capable of processing 50Kt/year of PET bottles. It is reported it will create a potential 20,000 jobs directly and indirectly through the supply chain. (https://lnkd.in/dahWgjif) #plastics #sustainability #circulareconomy #polymers #chemicals #packaging #INC4

Already, the production and disposal of plastics account for 3.4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development says, and that number is slated to rise. Nina Bellucci Butler, CEO of Stina Inc, which managed the directory, cited a serious lack of commitment from industry partners in the decision to shutter the initiative, as well as meager demand for recycled plastics. “It’s a fine line between maintaining a credible resource to help people find the best option for the common household items that are not easy to eliminate … and enabling greenwashing,” she wrote in an email. She said a lack of adequate funding for the project and the plastic recycling sector at large also contributed to the decision to take down the site. The project was initially funded by the American Chemistry Council, a plastic industry lobbying group which has lobbied against many US environmental regulations, but Butler said it had been self-funded for almost a year before closing down last month. The directory’s demise is indicative of a larger problem in the plastics recycling sector. Of the 51m tons of plastic waste US households generated in 2021, just 2.4m tons – or 5% – was recycled, a Greenpeace report found last year. A major hurdle: plastic materials are expensive to collect and sort. There are thousands of different kinds of the material, and none of them can be melted down together. Even plastics of the same category often can’t be recycled together – bottles that are dyed green or blue, for instance, can’t be processed with clear bottles made of the same kind of plastic, and few facilities have the capacity to sort so many different materials, the Greenpeace report found.https://https://lnkd.in/e6P7FHgs

Congratulations to PreOne Australia and Recycling Plastics Australia on their partnership to establish a $40 million advanced mechanical recycling plant for soft plastics with the assistance of a $20 million Recycling Modernisation Fund grant from the Australian Government.   The project will create some much needed on-shore reprocessing capacity to address the 573,239 tonnes of soft plastic packaging that is being placed on market and made from 98% virgin material *.   The plant should be capable of processing 14,000 tonnes of soft plastics each year, a welcome addition for Australia’s advancement towards a circular economy for soft plastics. Importantly, it will process some of the most difficult to recycle materials like shopping bags, chip packets, and food wrappers. 70% of all soft plastic packaging is used in the business-to-consumer space*.   The APCO team is excited to welcome this new development into the soft-plastic recycling space, coming online in the next 12 months and creating 45 jobs in South Australia.   Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/eMaSe32W   PreOne Australia Recycling Plastics Australia #SoftPlastics #Recycling #CircularEconomy   *2021-22 data, APCO Consumption and recovery report, flexible plastic material factsheet. https://lnkd.in/gqfzApPD

Reduce, reuse, redirect outrage: How plastic makers used recycling as a fig leaf Michael Copley, NPR The plastics industry has worked for decades to convince people and policymakers that recycling would keep waste out of landfills and the environment. Consumers sort their trash so plastic packaging can be repurposed, and local governments use taxpayer money to gather and process the material. Yet from the early days of recycling, plastic makers, including oil and gas companies, knew that it wasn't a viable solution to deal with increasing amounts of waste, according to documents uncovered by the Center for Climate Integrity. Around the time the plastics industry launched its recycling campaign, the head of a trade group called the Vinyl Institute acknowledged at a 1989 conference that “recycling cannot go on indefinitely, and does not solve the solid waste problem.” One of the biggest challenges is that making new plastic is relatively cheap. But recycling generally costs as much as or more than the material is worth, a director of environmental solutions at B.F. Goodrich explained at another industry meeting in 1992. The “basic issue,” he said, “is economics.” But the industry appears to have championed recycling mainly for its public relations value, rather than as a tool for avoiding environmental damage, the documents suggest. “We are committed to the activities, but not committed to the results,” a vice president at Exxon Chemical said during a meeting in 1994 with staff for the American Plastics Council, a trade group. Read on at https://lnkd.in/esyCRjEc

Yes, yes! Any type of plastic recycling is just a kind of bloody greenwashing. It will not solve any problem related to plastic. Plastic is an extremely harmful product and should be avoided as much as possible. And plastic is also synonymous with waste and disposable! Avoid to buy = reduce trash Go circular = reduce trash *** A Giant Plastics Chemical Recycling Plant Planned for Pennsylvania Died After Two Years. What Happened? Encina said it’s reviewing new, bigger locations overseas, and chasing growing demand. Critics see multiple fatal flaws with its plans. A Houston-based company’s first effort to turn plastic waste into the chemical feedstocks for new plastic products has crumbled amid unanswered questions about its technology, trouble securing the necessary permits and rising community opposition. Encina Development Group announced last week that it was pulling the plug on its proposed Point Township Circular Manufacturing Facility, two years after it announced the project would be built in a central Pennsylvania cornfield. The company had touted it as one of the largest in the country, representing a $1.1 billion investment along the Susquehanna River, about 60 miles north of the state capital of Harrisburg. Local environmental advocates at first thought the so-called “advanced recycling” plant sounded like a promising solution to a global glut of plastic waste. But they later came to distrust the company and oppose its project, which they concluded would have used vast amounts of energy and more closely resembled a plastics incinerator than an actual recycling facility. Source: https://lnkd.in/ddNzmK98 INDUSTRY 5.0 AMBASSADORS NETWORK #circulareconomy #INDUSTRY_5_0_NEWS #actnow #avoidplastic