Challenging Big Oil’s big lie about plastic recycling

Challenging Big Oil’s big lie about plastic recycling

Written by Judith Enck

Among the plastics in your home, you might have a hard orange laundry detergent bottle or a clear squeezable ketchup bottle. When recycling day comes, you might put it in a blue bin or bag and put it on the curb, hoping it will turn into something new.

But here’s the problem. These two plastic bottles cannot be recycled together because they are different colors, different types of plastic, and contain different chemicals. Unlike old aluminum cans that can be recycled into new aluminum cans, plastics are essentially not designed to be recycled.

But the idea that plastic is as recyclable as aluminum is widely misunderstood, having been drilled into our brains by the plastics and petrochemical industries for nearly half a century. This long fraud allowed these industries to lose billions of dollars with impunity until California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that California would sue ExxonMobil for environmental damage and lies about recycling. I was able to make a profit.

About supporting science journalism

If you enjoyed this article, please consider supporting our award-winning journalism. Currently subscribing. By subscribing, you help ensure future generations of influential stories about the discoveries and ideas that shape the world today.

This is a historic moment in the fight against plastic pollution, a crisis caused by companies who knew that most plastics could not be recycled. Some companies have filed important lawsuits against consumer brand companies over pollution, such as New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit against PepsiCo, but they also lie about the effectiveness of plastic recycling. The Bonta lawsuit is the first to target a company for stating that

exxon, one of the biggest It was clear that oil and gas companies around the world were the ones to watch. Americans typically associate Exxon with gas stations, but Exxon also makes polymers (chains of repeating chemical parts) that are used to package plastic bottles, cups, tableware, takeout containers, and other U.S. consumer goods. I’m doing it. The company considers the production of plastic parts to be a “core” part of its business, and Bonta’s lawsuit claims that 80 percent of its growth potential “relies on the use of single-use plastics.” .

Think about it. While you’re wondering what to put in your recycling bin, companies like Exxon are on a mission to find new ways to get unwanted plastic out into the world.

The composition of most plastics makes them inherently non-recyclable materials. More than 16,000 chemicals are used in the manufacture of different plastics to impart material properties such as color and flexibility, and different combinations of these additives are used in different types of plastics. Masu. The small amount of plastic that is actually recyclable (primarily No.1 and No.2, PET and HDPE) is delivered to a facility where the plastic is shredded and crushed. Unlike paper, which can be turned into new paper products many times over, recycled plastic typically becomes plastic wood or clothing, which can no longer be recycled and does not biodegrade.

This is why less than 6 percent of plastics are recycled in the United States, and why Exxon and others have spent decades falsely promoting the ability of plastic recycling to manage all the mess. This is why the millions of dollars spent on the campaign are deceptive.

According to California’s attorney general, this is illegal. Bonta’s lawsuit broadly outlines the company’s deceptions, including an Exxon employee in 1994 who said, “We are committed to the activities, but not the results,” when discussing a plastic recycling project. Also includes the statement.

This diversionary technique was aimed at shifting responsibility and responsibility for plastic pollution from companies to consumers, while allowing companies to dramatically increase their production of plastics. And it worked. Today, there is no place on earth that is not affected by plastic. It is found in the sea ice of the Arctic, in the deepest parts of the ocean, in remote mountains, in much of our food, and in our bodies. Plastic does not biodegrade. Split into small pieces. this suffocates wild animals, It gets into the air we breathe and into the water we drink. This toxic substance is often used for only a moment, but ultimately pollutes the environment for centuries.

Exxon and others are now reusing the same distracting technology to promote what they call “advanced recycling.” The process uses high heat to turn plastics into small amounts of fuel and often uses toxic chemicals to create new plastics. Like mechanical recycling, this too has been unsuccessful for decades.

Currently, only nine chemical recycling facilities exist in the United States, and even if they were operating at full capacity (which they are not), they would process less than 1.2 percent of the nation’s plastic waste. These facilities create a new world of environmental problems such as toxic pollution and air pollution, and continue the fabrication of plastic recycling. Most of these facilities are located in low-income neighborhoods and neighborhoods of color.

Bonta’s lawsuit holds Exxon accountable for misinformation about advanced recycling in addition to conventional recycling, another unprecedented and laudable move. “ExxonMobil knew that mechanical recycling, and now ‘advanced recycling,’ could only process a fraction of the waste it produced,” the complaint states.

The lawsuit follows suit filed by state attorneys general against tobacco companies in the 1980s. This lawsuit has two goals similar to successful tobacco litigation. It is about deterring deception and dealing with damages. If California wins this case, ExxonMobil and the industry groups it funds will have to stop lying about plastic recycling. Additionally, Exxon will need to put millions of dollars into an abatement fund to help California combat the plastic pollution epidemic.

Companies like Exxon have long used power and capital to avoid the disastrous consequences of their own greed. We need leaders like Attorney General Bonta to change that.

This legal action sets a precedent for other state attorneys general to follow. As big oil lawsuits over climate change responsibilities mount, smart companies can reduce their legal risks by telling the truth about plastics and plastic recycling. It’s not only the right thing to do; It is also required by law.

This is an opinion and analysis article and the views expressed by the author are not necessarily those of the author. scientific american.