Companies dependent on plastic production are lobbying the federal government to allow labeling plastic items like shopping bags as "recyclable," even though they are unlikely to be recycled and usually end up in landfills.
Lisa Song reports for ProPublica.
In short:
- The plastics industry is pushing to label more plastic items as "recyclable," even if they are not routinely recycled.
- Newer recycling technologies, like pyrolysis, are inefficient and not scalable for meaningful plastic waste reduction.
- Environmental experts warn this could mislead consumers and weaken efforts to address plastic pollution.
Key quote:
“Calling everything 'recyclable' would be a huge mistake. We have to be realistic about the role that recycling plays.”
— Lynn Hoffman, strategic adviser at the Alliance for Mission-Based Recycling
Why this matters:
Misleading labels could exacerbate plastic pollution by encouraging the use of items that are not truly recyclable. This could undermine genuine recycling efforts and further harm the environment.
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