Plastics
Plastics can’t be “recycled.” So-called recycling creates more pollution than it “recycles.” It’s all a big scam.
The disturbing reports on plastic pollution just keep coming: toxic plastic waste is filling up our oceans, our landfills, and even our bodies. But if you’ve seen a recent surge of ads from the companies that produce this garbage, you might be forgiven for thinking they’re working on solutions to the problem.
“America’s Plastic Makers” is the brand promoting a slew of ads about a new “solution” to plastic pollution that experts and evidence say creates new climate and environmental harms, and doesn’t actually work. It’s called “advanced” or chemical recycling, and refers to various processes for repurposing plastic waste. Some of those would use chemicals to break down used plastic and supposedly turn it into new plastic. But far more frequently, chemical recycling refers to combusting fossil fuels to turn plastics into chemicals or more oil and gas to be burned (also known as pyrolisis or gasification, which isn’t recycling at all).
Big Oil companies are opening new chemical recycling facilities across the country, which they’re selling as the silver bullet to dealing with hard-to-recycle plastic waste. And they’re advertising these facilities with the help of the American Chemistry Council (ACC), a trade association for chemical producers and the main lobbying arm for the plastics industry.
They’ve known all along, but they’ve campaigned to convince us to put those plastic bottles in the bin marked Plastics.
Enter chemical recycling.
Here’s the thing: chemical recycling is inefficient and unproven, and it exacerbates climate and environmental injustices, according to a series of nonprofit, journalistic, and government analyses. The process is extremely energy and emissions-intensive because it requires burning more fossil fuels, using and emitting more neurotoxic or carcinogenic chemicals like benzene, or both. Hazardous waste created during chemical recycling is either burned in copious amounts on site or, in many cases, shipped across the country to multiple locations to be burned. And a large majority of these facilities are sited in communities of color and low-income communities.
Plus shipping takes more fuel.
This is something I’ve been saying for a long time; I teach it to my students, but everyone else is so busy teaching them about the miracle of plastic recycling, they forget what I say as soon as the class is over.
Recycling in general is a bit of a scam. It can work, yes, but is not a complete answer for everything. People like it because it makes them feel virtuous, and because it doesn’t really require a change in their habits.
To me it’s disconcerting how much of our packaging is plastic. So many layers of polystyrene! The only thing we really can do is to reduce how much we buy. Even underwear is wrapped on layers. It’s underwear.
One of the many reasons I stopped shopping at Whole Foods: they wrap their vegetables in plastic wrap at my local WF.
One semester our administrative assistant did the shopping for my fruit lab in Botany. She brought me the purchases, each in a separate plastic bag. That is one thing for Brussels sprouts or green beans, but she would bring a bag with a single apple; a bag with a single pear, and so forth. When I go to the grocery store, I put fruits and vegetables in my cart without bags. If I am buying Brussels sprouts (the only time I would buy green beans, nasty things, is for my fruit lab), I have some reusable fabric produce bags.
Speaking of disconcerting, not to mention ironic, is the fact that nearly all of the clothing and gear for “nature centered” activities— hiking, backpacking, cross country skiing, kayaking and canoeing, and mountaineering is nearly all plastic including synthetic fabrics. All of which made for lightweight durable equipment that made these pastimes accessable to a great many more people than the old days of wool clothing, oilcloth rain gear, wood and canvas packs and tents, and more. On the other hand…
I do all except mountaineering. I’ll spare you my inventory.
Bruce, and in making these areas more accessible, increased and accelerated their degradation and destruction. Zing! Two wins in one for corporate capitalism.
The ubiquity of plastics is incredible.
Mary Jo DiLonardo “Microplastics Found Near the Top of Mount Everest” November 20, 2020
https://www.treehugger.com/microplastics-top-mount-everest-5088428
Rowan Jacobsen, “An Ocean Plastics Field Trip for Corporate Executives”, Outside August 8, 2019
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/an-ocean-plastics-field-trip-for-corporate-executives
There may be some progress replacing ‘plastic’ made from fossil.
Clare Watson “Scientists Created a New Recyclable Plastic Not Made From Crude Oil” 29 March 2023
Allison Christy and Scott Phillips describe making a new type of plastic based on poly(ethyl cyanoacrylate) or PECA, which is prepared from the monomer used to make Super Glue.
Small-scale lab experiments replicating industrial processes suggest roughly 93 percent of the new plastic could be recycled into clean starter materials – even when the plastic is mixed in with other unprocessed plastic waste, paper, and aluminum.
https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-created-a-new-recyclable-plastic-not-made-from-crude-oil
Alice Klein “New type of plastic may be infinitely recyclable”
Eugene Chan et al (Colorado State U) PBTL from bicyclic tholactones has excellent strength, toughness and stability to make packaging, sports equipment, car parts, construction materials. Recycled (on its own after separation from other plastics) by heating to 100 C in presence of catalyst for 24 hours breaks into original building blocks. (Science Avances, doi.org/d845)
New Scientist Aug. 29 2020 p. 20
On the other hand,
Sami Grover “Undercover Tape: How Exxon Is Lobbying to Make Plastics the Norm” August 13, 2021
Exxon is working hard to promote plastics recycling as a strategy to divert attention away from bans and regulations.
https://www.treehugger.com/exxon-lobbying-make-plastics-the-norm-5197255
Laura Sullivan “How Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled” Sept. 11 2020
https://www.npr.org/2020/03/31/822597631/plastic-wars-three-takeaways-from-the-fight-over-the-future-of-plastics
The polymer industry in the U.S. is pretty much integrated with the petrochemical industry.
Lloyd Alter “Fossil Fuel Companies Are Fueling a Global Plastics Binge; What Will We Do With It All? ” Updated October 11, 2018
Fossil fuel companies are building hundreds of new “cracking” facilities to make 40 percent more plastic.
https://www.treehugger.com/fossil-fuel-companies-are-fueling-global-plastics-binge-what-will-we-do-it-all-4851137
And remember the classic lines in “The Graduate” https://youtu.be/PSxihhBzCjk.
I work for a waste management company. Regulations include something called the “Waste Heirarchy” which, here in Europe, comprises five levels. Recycling is the third level but gets disproportionately more coverage than the top two tiers – Prevention and Reuse.
I believe that is because recycling pushes the burden onto the consumer, so that the producer doesn’t need to consider ways to reduce the waste they create.
The regulations are very clear but it seems that there is still no political desire to promote the top two tiers.
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