Even a majority of Republicans support efforts to hold manufacturers accountable for allegedly deceptive claims

Concern about the fossil fuel and plastics industries’ alleged deception about recycling is growing, with new polling showing a majority of American voters, including 54% of Republicans, support legal efforts to hold the sectors accountable.

The industries have faced increasing scrutiny for their role in the global plastics pollution crisis, including an ongoing California investigation and dozens of suits filed over the last decade against consumer brands that sell plastics.

Research published earlier this year found that plastic producers have known for decades that plastic recycling is too cumbersome and expensive to ever become a feasible waste management solution, but promoted it to the public anyway.

  • Drusas
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    fedilink
    19 days ago

    It goes in the recycling bin. You said Seattle does not accept plastic for recycling. That is false. What they do with it after that is a different story. But you were basically telling people not to recycle any plastics in Seattle, against Seattle’s recommended policy.

    • @irotsoma
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      19 days ago

      But the entire point of this article was about “recycling”, not “reuse”. And “recycling” means breaking something down and making something new out of it, not cleaning and reselling for reuse which requires that the items are intact and cleanable. Seattle does not do that with plastics and thus does not “recycle” them. So as I keep stating Seattle does not accept plastics “for recycling”. Which is a true statement that can be verified on their website.

      And reuse is not what the original article is talking about and thus not relevant. Most recycling companies process plastics “for reuse”. None in the US accept them “for recycling” (with the exception of some industrial sources) and never have since the beginning of the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” program in the US. They have always shipped that material elsewhere and those places have just thrown them in landfills. Which is the whole point of this article and discussion.