​China’s National Sword​ ​ earest city.

​ earest city. ​Another​​found that microplastics are being turned into sewage sludge and spread on fields that​
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​grow food. And, as we know from the plastic-filled whales that regularly ​wash up dead​​, the oceans are awash​
​ hina’s decision in 2017 to stop receiving the vast majority of plastic waste from other countries blew the​
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​in plastic waste and now contain some 150 million tons of the stuff — a mass expected soon to surpass the​
​flimsy lid off our dysfunctional recycling system. That year, when the Chinese government announced the​
​weight of all the fish in the seas.​
​National Sword policy, as it’s called, the U.S. sent 931 million kilograms of plastic waste to China and Hong​
​Kong. The U.S. has been offloading vast bundles of scrap this way since at least 1994, when the Environmental​ ​ e humans also have plastic lodged in our ​bodies​​. The substance often sold to us as protection from​
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​Protection Agency began tracking plastics exports. The practice has served to both mask the mounting crisis​ ​contamination is in both ​food​​and water. Bottled water, sales of which are ​increasing​​in part because people​
​and absolve U.S. consumers of guilt. But in fact, much of the “recycled” plastic scrap that the U.S. sent to​ ​are seeking alternatives to contaminated local water supplies, now ​contains​​plastic as well. A ​2018 study​​found​
​China ​appears​​to have been burned​​or buried instead of being refashioned into new products.​ ​that 93 percent of bottled water samples contained microplastics. While all the big brands tested positive for​
​microplastics, the worst was Nestlé Pure Life, which ​claims​​that its water “goes through a 12-step quality​
​ lthough China’s turnabout made the failure of the plastics recycling system suddenly and undeniably obvious,​
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​process, so you can trust every drop.”​
​in truth the plastics problem has been with us as long as plastic has. Over the decades, as production has​
​grown exponentially, we’ve never managed to repurpose even one-tenth of our plastic waste. Since the EPA​ I​t’s worth noting that in both ​2017​​and ​2018​​, Nestlé ranked in the top three among brands whose plastic trash​
​began tracking plastics recycling in 1994, when the U.S. recycled less than 5 percent, the rate went up only​ ​was most often collected in global cleanup efforts conducted by the environmental group Break Free From​
​about 5 percent, peaking at 9.5 percent in 2014. Although there is no data before 1994, the rate was almost​ ​Plastic.​
​certainly even lower then. Some of that failure can be blamed on careless consumers, but much of the waste​
T​ he confluence of terrible news has taken public outrage over plastic to a new level. Once regarded mostly as​
​that is dutifully put into recycling bins and bags also gets landfilled and burned because there’s no market for​
​an eyesore or a nuisance, plastic waste is now widely understood to be a cause of ​species​
​it.​
​extinction​​, ​ecological devastation​​, and ​human health problems​​. And because more than 99 percent of plastic​
​ uch of the “recycled” plastic scrap that the U.S. sent to China appears to have been burned or buried​
M ​is derived from oil, natural gas, and coal — and because its destruction also uses fossil fuels — environmental​
​instead of being refashioned into new products.​ ​groups now recognize plastic as a major contributor to ​climate change​​. Naturalist ​David Attenborough​​has​
​likened the shift in public opinion over plastics to the process through which the public reached a consensus​
T​ he plastics problem has been growing exponentially for decades. In 1967, when Dustin Hoffman’s character in​
​on the harms of slavery​​.Once regarded mostly as an eyesore or a nuisance, plastic waste is now widely​
​“ The Graduate” was being advised to go into plastics, less than 25 million tons were produced each year. Even​
​understood to be a cause of species extinction, ecological devastation, and human health problems.​
​back then, the companies that made the plastic ​were already aware​​of the growing waste problem. Yet by​
​1980, production had doubled. Ten years later, it doubled again to 100 million tons, surpassing the amount of​ ​ etween extraction, refining, and waste management, the production and incineration of plastics will add​
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​steel produced globally. Today, the plastics industry, estimated to be worth more than $4 trillion, generates​ ​more than 850 million metric tons of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere this year alone — an amount equal​
​more than 300 million tons of plastic a year according to the most recent records — nearly half of which is for​ ​to the emissions from 189 500-megawatt coal power plants, according to a ​report​​from the Center for​
​single-use items, meaning that it will almost instantly become trash.​ ​International Environmental Law.​
​ ith the institution of China’s new policy in January 2018, the extent of the plastic waste crisis became​
W ​ ecycled plastics — once seen as a sign of environmental virtue — is increasingly recognized as posing threats​
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​dramatically more visible. Around the world, bales of used plastic that just a year earlier would have been​ ​to our health. Plastics contain additives that determine its properties, including stability, color, and flexibility.​
​destined for China began ​piling up​​. In the U.S., some cities have ​stopped their plastics recycling​​programs​ ​Most of the thousands of these chemicals ​aren’t regulated​​, but it’s clear that some of those additives, which​
​altogether.​ ​end up in recycled plastics, are dangerous. One ​study​​found that half of recycled plastics in India contained​
​a ​flame retardant​​associated with neurological, reproductive, and developmental​​harms.​
​ ithout good alternatives, the U.S. is now ​burning​​six times the amount of plastic it’s recycling — even though​
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​the incineration process releases cancer-causing pollutants into the air and creates toxic ash, which also needs​ ​ lack plastic, used in everything from ​children’s toys​​to ​kitchen utensils​​, food packaging, cellphone cases, and​
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​to be disposed of somewhere. And poor people are stuck with the worst consequences of the plastics​ ​thermoses, appears to be particularly dangerous. The plastic is often sourced from recycled electronics that​
​crisis. ​Eight out of 10​​incinerators in the U.S. are in communities that are either poorer or have fewer white​ ​contain phthalates, ​flame retardants​​, and heavy metals, such as cadmium, lead, and mercury. Even at very low​
​people than the rest of the country, and ​residents​​living near them are exposed to the toxic air pollution their​ ​levels, these chemicals can ​cause​​serious reproductive and developmental problems.​
​combustion produces.​
​ ut most of the additives aren’t tracked or well studied. “The industry has no idea what they’re putting in the​
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​ lobally, too, the problem is being dumped on the less fortunate and less powerful. Because the U.S. can no​
G ​plastic and who’s putting it in,” said Andrew Turner, a British chemist who recently found toxic chemicals in 40​
​longer ship its plastic waste to China, much of that waste is going to Turkey, Senegal, and other countries that​ ​percent of the black plastic toys, thermoses, cocktail ​stirrers​​, and utensils he ​tested​​. In some plastic, he found​
​are ill-equipped to deal with it. In May, the most recent month for which data is available, the U.S. sent 64.9​ ​the chemicals present at 30 times safety standards set by governments.​
​million kilograms of plastic scrap to 58 countries. Thailand, India, and Indonesia — where more than 80​
E​ ven chemicals that are regulated often have limits set for electronics but not for recycled products. “You’ve​
​percent of waste is mismanaged, according to ​data​​published in Science — are among the ​countries​​that now​
​got something that wouldn’t be compliant with the regulations as an electric item because its levels are too​
​find themselves ​besieged​​with U.S. plastic that’s​​being illegally ​dumped and burned​​.​
​high, but because it’s turned into a fork, there’s nothing to stop it from being used,” Turner said. Antimony,​
​All the Plastics in the Seas​ ​which Turner found in food containers, toys, and office supplies, “is restricted in drinking water, but not in​
​electrical waste.” Turner and Zhanyun Wang, another scientist I spoke with who studies chemical additives to​
T​ he terrifying news about plastic seems to be as inescapable as the plastic itself, tiny bits of which are now​
​almost ​everywhere.​​One study found these “microplastics” in the ​Pyrenees mountain air​​100 miles from the​
​ lastics, told me that they no longer use black plastic utensils. “Given the option, I’d prefer something white or​
p ​ ut discomfort over the dead albatross, the bloody turtle, and industry’s public image notwithstanding, the​
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​clear,” said Turner, adding that he tries to avoid utensils made of any kind of plastic.​ ​companies that make billions from plastics have no intention of slowing down. Instead, the industry is gearing​
​up for the fight of its life, which may explain why an expert in actual warfare gave the keynote at the plastics​
T​ he solution to this global mess clearly has to be much bigger than personal cutlery choices. Among the​
​conference.​
​organizations demanding that we push past the idea of recycling and require corporations to limit plastics​
​production are ​Greenpeace​​, the ​Surfrider Foundation​​, ​As You Sow​​, the ​Rainforest Alliance​​and ​5Gyres​​, an​ T​ he industry is gearing up for the fight of its life, which may explain why an expert in actual warfare gave​
​organization started by a couple who sailed across the Pacific Ocean on a raft made out of discarded bottles.​ ​the keynote at the plastics conference.​
​Fueled by a spike in consumer frustration with products that make them complicit in the problem,​
I​n 2000, U.S. Navy Cmdr. Kirk Lippold guided his crew through a terrorist attack on the USS Cole, in which 17​
​plastic-free ​restaurants​​and ​grocery stores​​are now​​emerging.​
​sailors were killed and 39 injured. Now a crisis management consultant, Lippold told the audience at the​
T​ axes, bans, and fees on plastic products have been catching on around the world. In March, the European​ ​Plastics Industry Association meeting a grueling story of mass casualties, near-death experiences, and a​
​Union voted to ​ban​​single-use plastics by 2021. In June, Canada followed suit, with Prime Minister Justin​ ​shrapnel-filled vessel taking on water. His tale, which ended with Lippold piloting his hobbled ship back into​
​Trudeau ​vowing​​to not just ban single-use plastics such as bags, straws, and cutlery, but also to hold plastics​ ​the open seas with the national anthem blaring, suggested that with enough fierce determination, the plastics​
​manufacturers responsible for their waste. One hundred and forty-one countries, including China, Bangladesh,​ ​executives too might be able to sail past the threats facing them.​
​India, and 34 ​African countries​​, have implemented taxes or partial​​bans on plastics.​
​ t stake for them is not just the current plastics market now worth hundreds of billions of dollars annually, but​
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I​n the U.S., the Trump administration ​has worked against international efforts​​to crack down on plastic waste,​ ​its likely expansion. Falling oil and gas prices mean that the cost of making new plastic, already very low, will​
​so cities and towns are leading the way. While only eight states have enacted plastic restrictions, more than​ ​be even cheaper. The price drop has led to more than 700 plastics industry projects now in the works,​
​330 local plastic bag ordinances have passed in 24 states. Some federal lawmakers have also recognized that​ ​including expansions of old plants and the construction of new ones by Chevron, Shell, Dow, Exxon, Formosa​
​federal action is necessary to beat back the mounting tide of plastic. “Plastics recycling is not a realistic​ ​Plastics, Nova Chemicals, and Bayport Polymers, among other companies, according to a presentation from​
​solution to the plastic pollution crisis. Most consumer plastics are economically impractical to recycle based on​ ​the regulatory affairs director of the BASF Corporation at the plastics industry conference.​
​market conditions alone,” Rep. Alan Lowenthal and Sen. Tom Udall wrote in a ​letter​​to President Donald Trump​
T​ he growing output of new cheap plastic further undermines the industry’s own argument that recycling can​
​in June, noting that the “spread of single-use plastic products has led to widespread pollution of plastic in the​
​resolve the waste crisis. It’s already impossible for most recycled plastic to compete with “virgin” plastic in the​
​U.S. and has caused a growing financial burden on state agencies, local governments and taxpayers for​
​marketplace. With the exception of bottles made of PET (No. 1) and HDPE (No. 2), the rest of the waste is​
​remediation.”​
​essentially worthless. Around 30 percent of both types of plastic bottles were sold for recycling in 2017,​
​Big Plastic Fights Back​ ​though some of those may have wound up being landfilled or incinerated. The recent fossil fuel boom makes it​
​even cheaper to make new plastic and thus, even more difficult to sell the recycled product. This, in turn,​
E​ ven the executives at a recent plastics industry conference admit how bad the crisis is — at least to one​
​makes the plastics companies’ push for recycling that much more implausible — and their battle to kill efforts​
​another. All we hear is “you’ve got to get rid of plastics,” Garry Kohl, of PepsiCo, said to his fellow members of​
​to limit plastics production even more desperate.​
​the Plastics Industry Association at a conference in April. Gathered in the gilded ballroom of a Dallas hotel, the​
​representatives of big plastics manufacturers, recyclers, raw materials providers, extruders, brand owners, and​ ​Banning Plastic Bans​
​others in the plastics business grappled aloud about their role in the crisis. Especially difficult, said Kohl, who​
​ att Seaholm, the executive director of the American Progressive Bag Alliance, seemed to relish his part in the​
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​directs packaging innovation of PepsiCo’s snacks and foods, was the widely circulated picture of a dead​
​fight. While others at the plastics industry conference tended toward hand-wringing and at least some​
​plastic-filled ​albatross​​. “This is very emotional for our senior leaders,” Kohl said, as the now iconic picture of​
​acknowledgment of the problem of plastic waste, Seaholm was unapologetic in his antagonism of​
​the albatross — really just a few feathers and a decaying beak arranged around an assortment of bottle caps,​
​environmental groups that have been calling attention to it. In Texas, Seaholm, the former national director of​
​lighter parts, and plastic bits — flashed above him. “They’re all talking about the albatross.”​
​the Koch brothers-led Americans for Prosperity, positioned himself as the enemy of environmentalists.​
​ atty Long, interim president and chief executive officer of the Plastics Industry Association, the group that​
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“​ They hate what we’re doing,” Seaholm told his plastics industry colleagues at the conference with a​
​convened the Texas meeting, also acknowledged the pain of being the public face of an industry held​
​mischievous grin. “We wear this as a badge of honor.” The fact that environmental groups oppose the APBA’s​
​responsible for the devastation of the natural world. Long admitted that she squirmed her way through​
​tactics, Seaholm added, is evidence that his lobbying group “must be doing something right.”​
​another social media phenomenon that, along with the albatross, has changed the course of the war over​
​plastics: the ​video​​of the sea turtle with a plastic straw jammed in its nostril. Long isn’t the only one. Since it​ T​ he APBA began pushing back against plastics restrictions around the country in 2011. Around 2015, the​
​was posted in 2015, the eight excruciating minutes in which marine biologists yank at the plastic straw with​ ​industry group upped its game. Rather than just opposing individual bans, the APBA began lobbying for state​
​pliers while the creature squirms and bleeds, has been viewed 36 million times.​ ​preemption laws. The approach, which another ​Koch brothers-affliated group​​, the American Legislative​
​Exchange Council, has used to fight local action on other issues, including ​pesticide​​restrictions and ​living​
​ ll in all, Long admitted, it had been a tough year, in which some 376 anti-plastics bills were introduced, and​
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​wage​​laws, prevents cities and towns from passing local plastic bans. In the past eight years, the American​
​the perception of the plastics industry has continued to “spiral down exponentially.” The Plastics Industry​
​Chemistry Council has helped pass preemption bills based on ​ALEC’s model​​in 13 states. According to Seaholm,​
​Association is taking its cratering image seriously, working to offset it with pro-plastics ​presentations​​for​
​who joined the group in 2016, 42 percent of Americans now live in states where they can’t pass local bans on​
​elementary and middle school students, a ​plastics ambassadors​​program and, so young people can “feel good​
​plastics.​
​about” working in the industry, Long said, a “​​future leaders​​in plastics​​” group.​
​ ther plastics industry lobbying groups, including ALEC’s American City County Exchange and the National​
O t​ rip to the aquarium, the ordinance passed the city council in its first vote. Yet almost four years later, South​
​Federation of Independent Business, have also argued for preemption, or “uniformity” as they call it, on the​ ​Carolina is now considering ​legislation​​backed by the APBA that would not just ban future bag bans, but also​
​grounds that bans hurt businesses that use plastic. While presenting bans as bad for both businesses and poor​ ​undo the ordinance in Isle of Palms and 17 other local laws that have since restricted plastic in South Carolina.​
​people, who they claim will be disproportionately affected, the industry has also used campaign donations to​
​The Crying Indian​
​make its case. Over the past year, the ​Flexible Packaging Association​​, whose members include Dow, Exxon​
​Mobil Chemical, SABIC, Chevron Phillips Chemical, and LyondellBasell, more than doubled its spending​ I​f the image of giant multinational corporations destroying little girls’ efforts to protect sea creatures is less​
​nationwide. The group significantly upped its contributions to Tennessee lawmakers, for instance, in the year​ ​than flattering, the plastics industry can take comfort in the fact that it has successfully defeated​
​leading up to the passage of the bag preemption bill there.​ ​environmentalists’ attempts to hold it responsible for plastic with similar tactics before. The trick has been to​
​publicly embrace its opponents’ concern for the environment while privately fighting attempts at regulation.​
​ hile the APBA is fighting hard to push plastics preemption, the group’s national spending is unclear because​
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​as a wholly owned entity of the Plastics Industry Association, there’s no federal requirement to make its​ T​ he double-edged strategy dates back to at least 1969, when an editorial in Modern Plastics magazine warned​
​expenditures public. But state lobbying disclosures show that it has spent millions fighting bag​ ​about the impending waste crisis. The big plastics makers were already aware of the problem. That year,​
​bans. This advocacy of plastic bans puts Plastics Industry Associations members, including PepsiCo, Walmart,​ ​DuPont, Chevron, Dow, and the Society for the Plastics Industry were among the groups represented at a​
​and the Carlyle Group, in an uncomfortable situation. All these brands have made public sustainability pledges​ ​conference on packaging waste. And when the first Earth Day was launched in 1970 in part to tackle that crisis,​
​that appear to be at odds with the group’s fights against local laws limiting plastic.​ ​the industry was ready.​
​ sked about the apparent dissonance between its sustainability pledge and participation in the Plastics​
A T​ hat week, demonstrators held an “ecology trek” in which they dumped their nonreturnable bottles at​
​Industry Association, Walmart provided an emailed statement saying that “Walmart’s aspiration is to achieve​ ​Coca-Cola’s headquarters. The activists had a solution to the mounting waste crisis: bottle bills that would put​
​zero plastic waste. We are taking actions across our business to use less plastic, recycle more and support​ ​the onus for cleaning up the waste on manufacturers. Coca-Cola, which had been tipped off about the protests​
​innovations to improve plastic waste reduction systems.” The statement also said that Walmart has “asked our​ ​by the National Soft Drink Association, met the demonstrators with free soda and trash bins. The big beverage​
​suppliers to reduce unnecessary plastic packaging, increase packaging recyclability and increase recycled​ ​and packaging companies fought the bottle bill and came up with a clever dodge that’s still paying off today.​
​content, and to help us educate customers on reducing, reusing and recycling plastic.”​ ​Not only did they tar supporters of the bottle bills as radicals, but they also launched a massive PR campaign​
​that seemed to incorporate some of the anger about the mounting garbage that had fueled the Earth Day​
​PepsiCo and the Carlyle Group did not respond to requests for comment.​
​protests while shifting responsibility for the waste away from the companies that created it and onto​
S​ eaholm appeared not to care about the terrible optics of the industry’s fight against efforts to protect the​ ​consumers.​
​environment with plastic bans, which he derided as “primarily driven by emotion.” “They’re doing it because it​
I​n 1971, Keep America Beautiful, an anti-litter organization formed by beverage and packaging companies,​
​feels good,” Seaholm told the plastics executives in Dallas. “They get to high-five each other.”​
​including PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, and Phillip Morris, teamed up with the Ad Council to create the​
​The Plastics Industry Vs. Two Little Girls​ ​now-infamous ​“Crying Indian” ad​​. Although the “​​Indian​​” who tears up when he sees a bag of litter thrown on​
​the ground was really an Italian-American actor with a feather stuck in his hair, the ad’s sneakier deception​
I​n Isle of Palms, South Carolina, the people who spearheaded the state’s first plastic bag ban in 2015 wouldn’t​
​was that its expression of concern about pollution was brought to the airwaves by many of the same​
​disagree that their effort was driven by emotion. Suzette Head and Mila Kosmos, who live in the small coastal​
​companies that produced the pollution. Even as their ad was inducing guilt in viewers for spreading trash,​
​town near Charleston, screeched with joy when their local ordinance passed. “I felt happy that the bags would​
​Keep America Beautiful’s members were fighting legislation that could have done much to address the​
​be gone,” Mila, now 9, remembered recently.​
​problem.​
T​ he effort began with another emotion, when the two girls were in kindergarten: sadness. Suzette was at her​
“​ What makes this all the more insidious is that these TV spots and other ads were presented as public service​
​local aquarium when a naturalist held up a jar with a gray swirl inside and asked what the kids thought it was.​
​announcements — and thus appeared to be politically neutral — but, in fact, served the industry agenda,” said​
​Suzette thought it was a jellyfish and said so. When she learned that it was, in fact, a plastic bag and that a​
​historian Finis Dunaway, who lays out the story of Keep America Beautiful’s PR efforts in “​​Seeing Green: The​
​turtle could die if it made the same mistake and ate the bag, she became distraught.​
​Use and Abuse of Environmental Images​​.” “It was propaganda that did not appear propagandistic. It also​
“​ Suzette loves animals,” her mother, Kathy Kent, explained. On their walk home from the aquarium after the​ ​shielded corporate polluters from blame by shifting responsibility onto individuals.”​
​demonstration, the two began talking about how they could stop people from throwing away plastic bags. “At​
“​ These TV spots and other ads were presented as public service announcements — and thus appeared to be​
​first I said to her, Well, you just can’t change people,” said Kent. “But then I listened to myself and thought, Oh​
​politically neutral — but, in fact, served the industry agenda.”​
​my God, what am I saying and quickly walked it back.” Without having any idea what exactly she was​
​promising, Kent told her daughter that the two of them would do something to keep plastic bags from ending​ F​ uture Earth Days would continue to emphasize consumers’ personal responsibility for recycling, including the​
​up in the ocean. Shortly afterward, they teamed up with Mila and her mother and several other Isle of Palms​ ​national commemoration of the 10th Earth Day in 1980, which was organized by Michael McCabe, a former​
​residents who were also upset about plastic. They’d walk the beach in the afternoons picking up bags and​ ​legislative assistant who would go on serve as Joe Biden’s communications and special projects director before​
​brainstorming. Eventually, they hit on the idea of drafting a petition to ban bags and walked door to door to​ ​spearheading ​DuPont’s defense​​of a dangerous chemical used in many plastics, ​PFOA​​. In 1990, the 20th​
​get the support of several local shop owners.​ ​anniversary celebration was marked by a celebrity-studded TV special that emphasized the importance of​
​individuals’ actions, including tree-planting and recycling, in protecting the environment.​
“​ It was a piece of cake asking businesses to support us,” said Kent. “Everyone else knows that having a​
​litter-free, clean beach is good for everyone and every business.” A little over a year after Suzette’s upsetting​
T​ o this day, ​Keep America Beautiful​​— which is still ​led​​by executives at beverage and plastics companies,​ ​ therwise might lead consumers to stop buying plastic. “They’re trying to create the perception that there’s a​
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​including Dr Pepper, Dow, and the American Chemistry Council — continues to focus on ​litterbugs​​, prodding​ ​viable way to recycle most plastic waste into new products,” said Dell, “and that’s simply not true.”​
​errant citizens to better dispose of their plastic waste while many of its members fend off regulation of their​
​The “Recyclable” Scam​
​production of that waste. Several of the group’s ​corporate partners​​— including founding companies Coca-Cola​
​and PepsiCo and their trade group, the ​American Beverage Association​​— have ​opposed bottle bills​​that have​ ​ uch of the plastic waste that is amassing in the oceans, buried in landfills, and scattered throughout nature is​
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​been shown to help solve the plastic waste problem.​ ​“recyclable,” which is to say that it could, in theory, be refashioned into new products. Companies have​
​latched on to the hopeful term to make their latest plastic products more palatable. ​Starbucks​​, for instance,​
​ oah Ullman, chief marketing officer for Keep America Beautiful, disputes the idea that the organization was​
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​has lavished praise on itself for its “recyclable lid” rolling out in six cities this summer, which the​
​founded “as some kind of ruse. The intent was not there,” he said in a phone interview. Instead, Ullman wrote​
​company ​predicted​​will eliminate a billion straws. But because the lids are made from polypropylene (also​
​in an email to The Intercept, “the first objective of Keep America Beautiful was, and remains, encouraging​
​known as No. 5 plastic), and there is very little market for recycled polypropylene, that number has no basis in​
​people to ‘put it in the bin.’ Preventing litter is the basis for everything else — it helps keep communities​
​reality. Only 5 percent of polypropylene was recycled in 2015 — and that was before China decided to stop​
​beautiful (which has a long list of social and economic benefits) and helps protect animals and our​
​taking our waste. Since then, the percentage recycled is likely much lower still, meaning that the vast majority​
​environment from solid waste ending up in unintended places.” Ullman said that the organization does not​
​of the 1 billion new “recyclable” Starbucks lids will end up where the old ones did — in landfills, trash heaps,​
​take a position on bottle bills, but noted that while bottle bills improve the collection rates of refunded​
​incinerators, and the oceans.impossible for many consumers to recycle, including cups, plates, and containers​
​materials, the “unintended consequence is that [it] devalues the rest of the waste stream for recycling​
​made from plastics Nos. 3 through 7, all of which now have recycling rates close to zero.​
​(e.g. glass, cartons, milk jugs, etc.) and those items become less likely to be recycled.”​
​ sked about the “guilt-free” pouch, Kelly Cramer, director of How2Recycle at GreenBlue, wrote in an email​
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T​ he American Beverage Association, which has opposed bottle bills in the past, provided The Intercept with a​
​that the product was not “appropriately qualified” for the label and said that the organization would “reach​
​statement, saying, “We are not opposed to any ideas that will get us to better recycling rates in the future if​
​out to this company immediately to rectify.” Regarding the pictures of plastic cups and plates that are not​
​they do not harm the comprehensive curbside recycling systems that consumers prefer.”​
​accepted by recyclers in most parts of the country but whose packaging bore the How2Recycle label, Cramer​
I​n an email, a representative of Coca-Cola wrote that the American Beverage Association represents the​ ​said that the label referred to the bags that contained the cups and plates, which is recyclable if brought back​
​company’s views on bottle bills. The email also said that “at Coca-Cola, our focus is on helping to collect and​ ​to an in-store recycling program, but acknowledged that the plates and cups inside them may not be​
​reuse the equivalent of 100 percent of the bottles and cans that we put into the marketplace. This includes​ ​recyclable.​
​ensuring that all of our packaging is 100% recyclable and using at least 50% recycled content in our packaging​
​ lthough How2Recycle provides “not recyclable” as well as “recyclable” labels, it is the member companies’​
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​by 2030.”​
​choice whether to apply them, she said. “That member chose not to label the product,” Cramer said. “This is​
​ ith their focus on recycling and nonprofit status, Keep America Beautiful and other anti-litter organizations​
W ​an area where we’ve given the member a choice to label the product or not. If we were too strict in our​
​funded by the plastics and beverage industry, including the ​Recycling Partnership​​, offer companies both the​ ​requirements, we wouldn’t have as many members join the program.”​
​opportunity to demonstrate concern about plastic pollution and a tax write off. The Coca-Cola Foundation gave​
​ ramer argued that another product, cups made of polypropylene, or No. 5 plastic, may or may not qualify as​
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​$640,000 to the Recycling Partnership to improve recycling in 2017, for instance. The organization “works with​
​recyclable — a question that is now being ​litigated​​in a federal court in California. Cramer said that GreenBlue​
​thousands of communities all across the country to provide access to cart-based recycling and education to​
​is conducting research into the recycling rates of polypropylene and defended the How2Recycle program as a​
​help residents understand how to recycle materials more and better, including paper, aluminum and steel​
​way to minimize waste that is a fact of modern life.​
​cans, cardboard, cartons, glass and, yes, plastics,” according to an emailed statement from the organization.​
“​ We don’t want people to think that recycling alleviates all their consumption guilt. But the truth of the matter​
​ hile working to improve recycling and create end markets for recycled plastic, the Recycling Partnership also​
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​is that we all consume, and packaging protects products that have to be moved to be sold,” she said. “In the​
​presents a particularly rosy view of recycling. In May, the group sent out an ​email​​that announced that “87% of​
​future, it would be beautiful if we had robust reuse or novel delivery systems to rethink the entire product​
​People Think Recycling is Important,” while failing to mention the reality of single-digit recycling rates. The​
​packaging system. But we’re not there yet.”​
​group’s other ​funding partners​​include ExxonMobil, Keurig, Dr. Pepper, Dow, the International Bottled Water​
​Association, the American Beverage Association, and the American Chemistry Council.​ ​ lthough recycling does little to alleviate the mounting plastics crisis, the promotion of it has proven extremely​
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​useful to the industry when local bans on plastic bans have been proposed. The American Chemistry Council​
“​ They’re trying to create the perception that there’s a viable way to recycle most plastic waste into new​
​recently rolled out local campaigns for ​WRAP​​, or the Wrap Recycling Action Program, in several places where​
​products, and that’s simply not true.”​
​plastic bans have been proposed.​
I​n its statement, the Recycling Partnership noted that only half of Americans who have access to convenient​
T​ he public-private partnership run by the ACC, which encourages the recycling of plastic bags through 18,000​
​recycling do everything they could. The statement also said that the group is working to create and support​
​plastic film collection sites around the country and promotes the idea that plastic bags can be recycled,​
​end markets for recycled plastic.​
​launched a ​new effort​​in Connecticut in 2017 that coincided with the state’s ​consideration​​of a tax on plastic​
​ ut according to Jan Dell, an engineer who worked as a corporate sustainability consultant before creating The​
B ​bags. When Chicago was weighing a plastic bag tax in 2016, the ACC rolled out ​WRAP there​​too, announcing​
​Last Beach Cleanup, an organization that confronts plastics pollution, the Recycling Partnership and other​ ​that locals can recycle plastic bags “at nearly 400 local grocery and retail stores.” This year, in Florida, the ACC​
​nonprofits supported by the plastics industry are using misleading information to ease concerns that​ ​made another ​local WRAP push​​just as a state-level bill​​to ​ban plastic straws​​was ​introduced​​.​
T​ he group teaches the public how to recycle plastic film — any plastic less than 10 mil thick — a process that​ ​ ow and Hefty first rolled out the program on Earth Day 2016 as a way for Omaha residents to dispose of​
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​turns out to be complicated enough to require its own educational organization. Most municipal recycling​ ​plastic forks and knives, chip bags, and other single-use plastics that the city hadn’t been able to process. They​
​programs don’t accept shopping bags and other flexible plastic, which can snag machines. So​ ​just had to put the plastic trash into special orange Hefty bags, put them out on the curb, and the city would​
​WRAP ​directs​​consumers to bring it to local take-back centers, which collect the film and send it on to​ ​pick up and recycle the trash. “They were very definitely calling it recycling,” recalls Richard Yoder, a local​
​recyclers. The plastic first has to be washed and dried, according to WRAP, and even then only some of it can​ ​sustainability consultant. But Yoder and other Omahanians soon learned that rather than being melted down​
​be recycled. The program can recycle the clear wrap you might put around food at home, as well as bags that​ ​into reusable plastic, the contents of their bags were being burned in an incinerator in Missouri that had​
​contain most produce, groceries, and bread, but not candy-bar wrappers, six-pack rings, and the plastic bags​ ​a ​history​​of Clean Air Act violations.​
​that contain chips or frozen food.​
L​ ast year, after Yoder argued at a ​local debate​​over the program that calling the Energybag program recycling​
​ ut even as WRAP promotes the message that plastic film can and should be recycled, and ​scolds​​people who​
B ​was misleading, Hefty stopped using that term. Yet, in labored language, the company’s ​website​​still pitches​
​don’t put plastic bags in recycle bins, many of the used bags and other plastic waste it collects wind up being​ ​the program as an environmental good, or “a groundbreaking initiative that collects hard to recycle plastics.”​
​burned or sent to landfills. According to the most ​recent​​report on plastic film recycling published in July by​ ​The Hefty EnergyBag program “complements existing recycling programs,” according to Ashley Mendoza, a​
​the ACC, the amount collected in the U.S. and sold for recycling fell from 1.3 billion to 1.0 billion pounds​ ​spokesperson for Dow. “Our long-term vision is to keep more plastics out of landfills by collecting them for​
​between 2016 and 2017 — and that was before China’s restriction on plastic waste imports was fully​ ​recycling or recovery if they cannot be reused.”​
​implemented. The ACC report admitted that some of the bags wound up where they would have if they didn’t​
​ fter the ​Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives​​called out the Omaha program for creating more​
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​first make a brief stop in a bag-recycling bin. “Due to a lack of buyers — for the quality and amount of material​
​pollution, the Dow and Hefty initiative also stopped sending the orange bags to the incinerator. Since then, the​
​available — towards the end of 2017, landfilling material started to be more economical (despite diversion or​
​plastic waste has been put to several purposes, including being compressed into fence posts and railroad ties​
​other environmental goals) than covering the handling and shipping costs of getting material to market.”​
​and going “to a Canadian firm that made some sort of decking,” according to Dale Gubbels, CEO of ​FirstStar​
I​t’s not clear what happened to the 300 million pounds of film that were sold for recycling in 2016 but not in​ ​Recycling​​, the Omaha company partnering with​​Dow and Hefty on the project.​
​2017. Because the ACC doesn’t report the total amount of plastic film collected, what proportion of the​
​ ecause no one has learned how to remove additives from plastic, products made from recycled waste can​
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​collected film that represents is also obscure. Nor is it clear why the ACC has not yet reported the 2018​
​release toxic chemicals as they degrade.​
​numbers. But even within the 1 billion pounds of plastic film the ACC categorized as “recycled,” much is likely​
​either burned or landfilled. According to the report, 378 million pounds of the film were exported, and the​ ​ hile Dow and Hefty promote the program as a way to convert plastic into “valuable energy sources,” it isn’t​
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​ACC said in an emailed statement to The Intercept that it doesn’t know what happened to the waste after that​ ​cheap, according to Gubbels. The expense has apparently disappointed some initial proponents, who expected​
​point.​ ​the program to pay for itself. “I have to try to convince them if you want to recycle, you have to recognize that​
​you’ve got to pay for it,” he said. All in all, he added, the program, which was pitched as an energy-efficient​
​ lthough the ACC doesn’t put an exact number on the total amount of bags that were burned or landfilled, a​
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​solution to plastic waste, has proven “far more challenging than anyone had envisioned when this thing got​
​recent ​call to action​​from a group of plastics recyclers called Recycle More Bags does. The document, which​
​started.” According to an email from Mendoza, “The price of the Hefty® EnergyBag® orange bags cover the​
​came out in May and called for legislation that would require that new plastic bags contain recycled material,​
​cost of running the program.”​
​noted that “600 million pounds of plastic bags collected for recycling in North America in 2018 was landfilled​
​or incinerated due to lack of end-markets.” A later version of the document changed the figure to “hundreds​ S​ cientists point out another hitch in the energy bag plan: Because no one has learned how to remove additives​
​of millions of pounds.”​ ​from plastic, products made from recycled waste, such as the railroad ties, fence posts, and decks made from​
​Omaha’s plastic, can release toxic chemicals as they degrade. “Until we do a better job of eliminating the​
“​ Based on the two industry reports, it looks like we may have incinerated and disposed of the same amount of​
​hazards in its first use, you’re going to have problems managing the toxicity in every subsequent use,” said​
​plastic film and bags that were reprocessed,” said Dell.​
​Pete Myers, a biologist and the founder and chief scientist of ​Environmental Health Sciences​​. “Some of the​
​Recycling or Burning?​ ​types of plastics that they’re proposing to recycle contain chemicals connected to a 50-year decline in sperm​
​count, to type 2 diabetes, and to breast and prostate cancer. These are serious problems and we don’t know​
​ ne of the latest solutions industry is offering to the plastics crisis isn’t recycling exactly. While many questions​
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​enough about the exposures to make it safe for the child sitting on that deck.”​
​remain about what exactly the Hefty EnergyBag program is, it is making it clear how expensive and difficult it is​
​to find a use for plastic waste.​ ​ hen asked about this possibility, Gubbels said he hadn’t considered it and didn’t have expertise in toxic​
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​chemicals. In any case, Gubbels has been spreading Omaha’s plastic waste around. He sent one recent load to​
I​n April, 49 years after protesters kicked off the first Earth Day by dumping single-use waste at Coca-Cola’s​
​Renewlogy, a plant in Salt Lake City, Utah, that heats the plastic and extracts energy from it, and said he plans​
​doorstep, Dow Chemical was a “​​forest green sponsor​​” of Omaha’s Earth Day event, despite the fact that it is​
​to send a load to a similar plastic-to-energy facility in Texas called New Hope Energy.​
​the largest plastics manufacturer in the world. With a $5,000 gift, Dow’s ​Hefty EnergyBag program​​, a joint​
​effort of Dow and Reynolds Consumer Products, was one of the two biggest donors for the event. Held in​ ​The Myth of “Chemical Recycling”​
​Omaha’s lush Elmwood Park, the day’s festivities were as green and wholesome as any corporate sponsor​
​ enewlogy and New Hope are two firms offering what the plastics industry is putting forward as the newest​
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​could want. Native American folk music played as locals strolled the grass from table to table learning about​
​solution to plastic waste: so-called chemical recycling. According to the ​American Chemistry Council​​,​
​urban beekeeping, rain barrels, ​microchickens​​, and tree planting. Children stroked a soft gray rabbit. And​
​expanding plastics recovery into this realm could “result in billions of dollars of economic output.” Yet even the​
​dozens of environmentally concerned Nebraskans participated in an outdoor yoga class, bending and​
​technology’s biggest proponents acknowledge that no one yet knows how to efficiently and economically​
​stretching in the sun along with their neighbors.​
c​ onvert plastic into its component parts and then back into fuel. If all the non-recycled plastics in the U.S. were​ ​ evertheless, chemical recycling facilities are already being promoted — and, in some cases, funded — as​
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​converted to oil, “we could create enough fuel to power 9 million cars each year,” the Chevron Phillips​ ​sustainable fixes for the plastics problem. In ​Oregon​​, a waste management company is pushing to get its​
​sustainability director, Rick Wagner, argued in a recent ​article​​in Plastics Recycling Update magazine. That​ ​plastic-burning plant classified as renewable energy. And in Ashley, ​Indiana​​, a new chemical recycling plant is​
​transformation would also allow Chevron, the ​second-largest​​plastic manufacturer in the world, to shrug off its​ ​being financed with $185 million in green bonds from the state, funds that are earmarked for environmentally​
​responsibility for the massive quantities of pollution now choking the globe. But even Wagner admits that​ ​beneficial projects. Brightmark Energy, the company behind it, says its ​mission​​is to “rise up and meet​​the​
​we’re still far from knowing how to chemically recycle. It’s sort of like ​going to Mars​​, Wagner wrote. “We’re​ ​needs of our planet.”​
​not quite there yet. Not tomorrow, but someday. Hopefully soon.” Mendoza described pyrolysis, the method​
S​ ome have objected to the use of taxpayer money to back a process that has repeatedly failed financially​
​used by the Renewlogy plant to which Hefty EnergyBag waste has already been sent, as “a potential next step​
​when it’s been tried in the past. “Every one of these pyrolysis facilities has depended upon government​
​toward advanced recycling.”​
​largesse to even try to get off the ground,” said Andrew Dobbs, campaign director at Texas Campaign for the​
T​ he idea that plastic can be broken down into its elements, which can then be turned into fuel, waxes, and​ ​Environment, a group that opposed the Texas bill. “So-called chemical recycling doesn’t make economic sense.​
​lubricants has been around for decades. But such waste-to-fuel plants have never proven economically or​ ​It’s a highly expensive and energy-intensive process that’s competing with burying things in a hole in the​
​environmentally viable. According to a 2017 ​report​​of the Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, most of​ ​ground. On the other end, they’re producing fuel, which is competing with natural gas when natural gas is dirt​
​the waste-to-fuel projects in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, which used either pyrolysis or a related technology​ ​cheap. The only way they’re going to make that work is for the costs to be paid by someone else.”​
​called gasification, were closed or canceled before even getting off the ground. Among the impediments cited​
​ ccording to the email from the American Chemistry Council, chemical recycling “facilities are being​
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​in the report were the inability to meet energy efficiency and pollution control goals. “In general, costs are​
​developed by venture capital and investment firms, which is a vote of confidence in the financial promise of​
​higher and more uncertain than project proponents foresee and revenues are lower and more uncertain,” the​
​these technologies and business models.” The email also noted that “Chemical recycling technologies are​
​report noted.​
​developing very quickly and — like other technologies including wind and solar — will become more efficient​
​Waste-to-fuel plants have never proven economically or environmentally viable.​ ​as they reach commercial scale.”​
T​ he environmental and financial viability of the latest energy-to-fuel plants is also unclear. When asked about​ ​ hether it can meet its goal of turning 288 tons of plastic per day into 778 barrels of diesel blend stocks, 418​
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​the efficiency of the facilities used by the Hefty EnergyBag program, Mendoza wrote in an email that “material​ ​barrels of naphtha blend stocks, and 360 barrels of industrial wax, this latest take on plastic recycling will, like​
​efficiency of a pyrolysis processing unit is dependent on the technology used and the types of materials fed​ ​all chemical recycling plants, use fossil fuels to convert fossil fuel products into additional fossil fuels. They will​
​into the facility.” Mendoza also wrote that “Dow has a vital interest and responsibility in making plastic​ ​also almost surely ease the way for the continued production of even more plastic.​
​materials beneficial throughout their lifecycle. We are working to improve the entire system where our​
“​ This is all just a huge, incredibly expensive distraction,” said Denise Patel, U.S. program director at the Global​
​products are used in order to maximize resource efficiency and the benefits derived from using our products.”​
​Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives. While China’s decision to stop taking U.S. plastic finally revealed the​
​ either New Hope or Renewlogy, two of the nine companies in the American Chemistry Council’s ​industry​
N ​country’s plastics problem, the idea of chemical recycling — fanciful as it may be — could undermine public​
​alliance​​for chemical recycling, would reveal what volume of plastics their plants require to produce fuel.​ ​urgency about it, according to Patel. “China’s decision is an opportunity for cities to examine waste and double​
​Renewlogy did not respond to numerous emailed interview requests. But the company’s ​website​​says that​ ​down on reducing,” she said. “Instead, these projects are exacerbating the problem by giving people the idea​
​between Omaha’s waste and that collected through a similar Hefty EnergyBag program in the city of Boise, a​ ​that there is a solution and it’s OK to keep buying them.”​
​million pounds of plastic were “diverted” in 2018. A video on the site also describes Renewlogy’s process as​
​cost-effective and “proven clean.” The New Hope plant in Texas issued a press release announcing that it will​ ​ t the industry conference in Texas, no one asked whether it was OK to keep producing more plastic. After the​
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​have a capacity to process 150 tons of plastic a day, but the company declined to comment on that facility’s​
​pictures of injured sea creatures were gone and an accountant spoke to the executives about how to best take​
​efficiency. “It’s a brand-new industry and there are some things we can’t communicate about,” said Lee Royal,​
​advantage of Trump’s cuts to the top tax brackets, attendees learned about the bright prospects for their​
​who answered the phone there. “How we do business is probably not something we’d like to share just now.”​
​industry. Exports of the world’s most popular plastic, polyethylene, will not just continue, but will likely​
I​n an emailed statement, the American Chemistry Council defended the value of chemical recycling, noting​ ​experience “healthy growth” over the next several years, as a presentation from the investment research firm​
​that “these technologies can produce a wide range of products beyond fuel, including higher value chemicals​ ​IHS Markit explained. Nor was there much question where all that new plastic will be sold. An increasing share​
​and other feedstocks” and that such products “have much greater value in the marketplace than in a landfill.”​ ​is expected to go to Asian countries other than China, since the growing awareness of plastics pollution in​
T​ he big open questions about the efficiency, safety, and economic viability of the chemical recycling process —​ ​Europe and North America may slightly weaken markets there. The only real question about the proliferation​
​and the admissions from its proponents that they haven’t figured out how to make it work — haven’t stopped​ ​of a product we know to be heating the planet, amassing all around and within us, and poisoning water and air​
​the chemical industry from passing laws facilitating funding of the scheme. Texas recently became the ​sixth​ ​around the world, is what new techniques its producers will adopt to make it seem fine.​
​state​​to pass legislation (supported by Chevron Phillips Chemical, Exxon Mobil, and the American Chemistry​
​Council) that would pave the way for new chemical recycling facilities.​
S​ ome of these laws have been designed to ensure that the facilities will be subject to minimal regulation. By​
​categorizing them as manufacturing plants rather than solid waste disposal sites, chemical recycling operations​
​may be exempted from limits on nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, heavy​
​metals, and greenhouse gases that are imposed on solid waste sites.​