Ramsden called on corporations to support a Global Plastics Treaty, which United Nations members agreed to create in February, and move toward refill and reuse strategies. The goal of providing and charging for heavy bags shouldn't be about the shoppers' convenience but deterring them from waste. People would think twice before throwing away the bags. The state of plastic recycling in the US is so abysmal that no plastic packaging can even be considered recyclable, according to a new report published today by environmental group Greenpeace . Circular Claims Fall Flat Again, a recent report released by Greenpeace USA, claims that most plastic simply cannot be recycled. The group has issued a report accompanied by a press release headlined, "Plastic Recycling Is a Dead-End Street Year After Year, Plastic Recycling Declines Even as Plastic Waste Increases." The Greenpeace report goes on to list why plastic recycling has been such a miserable failure: Plastics are extremely difficult to collect Eliminating unnecessary and problematic products and packaging such as plastic straws and single use carrier bags, investing more in reusable and refillable systems would form a lasting solution to the plastic challenge we face today, as compared to recycling. Ultimately, the Greenpeace report is focused on a systemic solution to the plastics problem, and it concludes that history reveals that recycling is not it. PET and HDPE have reprocessing rates of about 20% and 10%, respectively, the report said. A shocking new Greenpeace report reveals that most types of single-use plastic cannot be recycled in the United States. Virgin production of non-recycled plastic, that is meanwhile is rapidly rising as the petrochemical industry expands, lowering costs. We are independent, non-profit, advertising-free and 100% reader-supported. The analysis declares that mechanical and chemical plastic recycling fails and will always fail because plastic waste is difficult to collect, virtually impossible to sort, environmentally harmful and not economical to recycle. To inspire. Since everything is going in the same bin, plastic waste with no value or market ends up driving up the cost of the whole system, to the point where cities like Memphis, Philadelphia, and many others, are starting to struggle to pay for recycling. We have no time to procrastinate. The first is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is commonly used in water and soda bottles; and the second is high density polyethylene (HDPE), seen in milk jugs, shampoo bottles and cleaning product containers. Consumers efforts to reduce their plastic footprint are important, but more often, plastic straws, bags, bottles, and packaging materials are pushed onto buyers who are overwhelmed and hard-pressed to find alternatives that put a stop to single-use plastics penetrating the market, since recycling seems to be failing us. Click your browser type below to go directly to the browser user guide to learn how to disable or erase cookies. How will that help? Our waterways are filled with plastic waste and animals stomachs are full of it, yet we have been told for years that recycling is a solution.It is frustrating to see our rivers, oceans and communities filled with single-use plastic waste. Plastic, and especially single-use plastic, is increasingly becoming a global environmental threat and it is becoming clearer that recycling is nothing more than a false solution. M ost plastic simply cannot be recycled, a new Greenpeace USA report concludes. Conventional plastic recycling doesn't workeven Greenpeace says so. The restrictions consistently failed to achieve their ostensible purpose of reducing unnecessary spending, but sumptuary laws endured until the Enlightenment because they reinforced ruling-class power and status. This is a huge problem that brings us to our headline. Whats the right role for chemical recycling? An accomplished campaigner, explorer, and marine biologist, John has helped win several major victories for marine conservation since becoming the director of Greenpeace's oceans campaign in 2004. And yet, the government's own research (you know . The Myth of Single-use Plastic Recycling Plastic recycling rates are declining even as production shoots up, according to a Greenpeace USA report out Monday that blasted industry claims of creating an efficient, circular economy as "fiction." Todays rulers and moral guardians achieve the same purposes with their petty edicts on plastic. PET and HDPE have reprocessing rates of about 20% and 10%, respectively, the report said. Because as bad as plastic is for marine life and human health, it is also harming our ability to recycle material that can be recycled over and over again, like aluminum, paper, and glass. Greenpeace found that only . According to the report, there were five main reasons why plastic recycling is a "failed concept. ADS Recycling, which used 647 million pounds of reprocessed material last year, is the leader. The group states more plastic production will have significant repercussions in terms of elevated greenhouse gas emissions. The first is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is. Plastic recycling has turned out to be a "failed concept" used by global corporations as a "smokescreen," Greenpeace USA has said, urging companies to focus on abandoning single-use plastic. Thanks and congratulations to all the efforts to CHANGE from plastic to re-useable containers. The 40-page report is an update from a 2020 survey. We use cookies to enhance your experience. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Plastic production must be stopped to save Planet Earth and all living beings. This is a huge problem that brings us to our headline. They preached it to children, mandated it for adults, and bludgeoned municipalities and virtue-signaling corporations into wasting vast sumsprobably hundreds of billions of dollars worldwideon an enterprise that has been harmful to the environment as well as to humanity. -. Plastic recycling rates are declining even as production shoots up, according to a Greenpeace USA report out Monday that blasted industry claims of creating an efficient, circular economy as "fiction.". Our Mission: To inform. Greenpeace study finds plastic recycling a 'myth'. Greenpeace, the iconic environmentalist organization, now says traditional plastics recycling (separation, concentration of waste stream, thermal/physical reformation of plastics) does not work, thereby ironically agreeing with decades of critical research on recycling programs. The report found that PET and HDPE products had actual reprocessing rates of 20.9 percent and 10.3 percent, respectively both down slightly from Greenpeace USA's last survey in 2020. As Plastic News notes, 58 percent of the recycled plastic is post-industrial and 41 percent is post-consumer. Plastics that biodegrade or break down into tiny pieces (creating smaller bits of plastic that are still, well, plastic.) A team of Greenpeace Africa activists at Nestle's headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, bring the #PlasticMonster (an installation made with plastic waste), back to its maker. Click here>>>>. 2022 Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, Inc. All rights reserved. In the report, Greenpeace gives five reasons why recycling of plastic is a "failed concept": plastic waste accumulates in huge quantities and is extremely difficult to collect. This op-ed was originally published in The Standard. People need to be mindful of their actions. October 25, 2022 20 WASHINGTON, D.C.: Plastic recycling rates are declining even as production shoots up, according to a Greenpeace USA report released on Monday that blasted industry claims of creating an efficient, circular economy as "fiction." Plastic trash is used to make a sign at Anacostia Park in Washington, D.C. on March 21, 2019. Most web browsers allow some control over cookies through browser settings (e.g. (BLOG: 125 Health Experts Confirm that Reusables are Safe During COVID-19 Pandemic). "This isn't actually a new concept it's how the milkman used to be, it's how Coca-Cola used to get its beverages to people. While in the ocean, larger pieces of plastics break apart into smaller fragments. Thank you for carefully rinsing, sorting, and recycling your plastic containers but plastic is trash and trying to recycle it is futile, Greenpeace said in late October. Stephen Alexander, APR President, put out this counterstatement: "While APR is still reviewing the report, it seems that Greenpeace is 'recycling' a number of misleading claims. The Kentucky senator presses on with his fight against the federal governments Covid response. And what we see floating on our waterways and washing up our beaches is just a tip of the iceberg. A new Greenpeace report estimates that only 5% to 6% of U.S. plastics are being recycled. October 24, 2022 3:14 PM. But why demonize plastic? Washington, DC - A Greenpeace report released today, Deception by the Numbers, examines 52 projects touted by the American Chemistry Council (ACC) as "chemical" or "advanced" recycling, finding that many are either not viable or misleadingly promoted as recycling when they largely produce fuels and waxes. A report this week from environmental group Greenpeace takes brand owners and industry groups to task for promoting recycling as the primary solution to plastic waste issues. This release updates a 2020 Greenpeace report that found the same things. There are many alternative product delivery models that can eliminate the use of single-use plastics. It's as simple as that! Titled "Circular Claims Fall Flat Again," the study found that of 51 million tons of plastic waste generated by U.S. households in 2021, only 2.4 million tons were recycled, or around five percent. Greenpeace, the iconic environmentalist organization, now says traditional plastics recycling (separation, concentration of waste stream . Progressive activists may not care that these bans have added to the cost of groceries, inconvenienced shoppers, and caused new headaches for merchants. Add your name to show your support for this groundbreaking legislation that will tackle the plastic waste crisis. Common Dreams has been providing breaking news & views for the progressive community since 1997. The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act proposed by Senator Udall and Representative Lowenthal is exactly the kind of comprehensive legislation we need right now. These cookies help improving the performance of Greenpeace.org/africa. While there may not be a one size fits all approach, all businesses and corporations must begin to examine their business model that is centred on disposal, with single-use plastic packaging as the main product delivery system for their customers. It was this rate Greenpeace used to compare different plastics with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's 30% threshold. The rest of us can start today. Copyright 2022, Resource Recycling, IncAbout | Privacy | Contact. Plastic recycling rates are falling even as production is rising rapidly, according to a US Greenpeace report released Monday that called industry claims of creating an efficient circular economy a "fiction." . A new report from Greenpeace calls plastic recycling a "failed concept" after 30 years of unsuccessful efforts to recycle plastics that left consumers with the idea they are helping prevent trash when most of their efforts end up in the landfill anyway. Of the rest . You will be able to hide the cookies acceptance banner and use the website features better. She named Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Unilever and Nestle as prime offenders. Theyve found yet another way to harm both the environment and humans, as demonstrated in the movement to ban single-use plastic bags. The non-acceptance of these cookies will give you a cookie-free experience. The first is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is commonly used in water and soda bottles; and the second is high density polyethylene (HDPE), seen in milk jugs, shampoo bottles and cleaning product containers. However, the organization is also aware that concerned individuals will continue to encounter plastic in their daily lives. After several years of gains in recycled content usage, Amcor is setting a new recycled content goal of 30% by 2030, tripling its previous target. Greenpeace Africa Plastic Campaigner Amos Wemanya explains why recycling is a false solution to Africas plastic pollution crisis, This is why recycling is a false solution in Africa. Oct. 24 (UPI) -- About 95% of the plastic used by U.S. households winds up in landfills rather than at the recycling station, environmental group Greenpeace said Monday. Thered be less plastic polluting the seas if Americans tossed their yogurt containers and water bottles into the trash, so that the plastic could be safely buried at the nearest landfill. Greenpeace, the iconic environmentalist organization, now says traditional plastics recycling (separation, concentration of waste stream . According to Greenpeace USA's survey, only two types of plastic are widely accepted at the nation's 375 material recovery facilities. A report published Tuesday by Greenpeace concludes that "recyclable" claims and labels on plastic consumer products in the United States are often "misleading," based on a comprehensive survey of conditions from October 2019 to January 2020 and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's Green Guides requirements.. Circular Claims Fall Flat: Comprehensive U.S. Survey of Plastics Recyclability (pdf . 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New data from two of New York Citys specialized high schools show the costs of the war on meritocracy. Spanish prelates and Portuguese monarchs proclaimed their moral virtue and political authority by forbidding the masses from owning clothes, curtains, and tablecloths made of silk. This helps us make better content based on your experience navigating the website. Greenpeace on Sept. 14 published The Climate Emergency Unpacked: How Consumer Goods Companies Are Fueling Big Oils Plastic Expansion. The report is framed as an examination of how packaging stakeholders and others have failed to reduce their reliance on single-use plastic, a move Greenpeace says is helping enable the fossil fuel industrys move to expand plastic production.. Those laws forbade commoners from owning certain kinds of clothes, jewelry, furnishings, and other products. Photo by EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images. Only about 5% of the 51 million tons of plastic waste produced by American households in 2021 was recycled domestically, according to a new study conducted by the environmental nonprofit Greenpeace. Eliminating plastic use will create a real change of securing a future that is healthier for our families, our communities and the species that call this planet home. It was this rate Greenpeace used to compare different plastics with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's 30% threshold. The FDAs ban on a popular e-cigarette defies logic. It's actually illegal to export plastic waste unless it's going to be recycled, but Greenpeace investigators have found British plastic dumped by the side of the road, abandoned in illegal dumps or even set on fire in Turkey and Malaysia. The best explanation Ive come up with is that plastic bans are a revival of the sumptuary laws formerly imposed on the lower classes by monarchs, nobles, and clergy. Plastic recycling remains a 'myth': Greenpeace study by Issam AHMED A Greenpeace USA study found that of 51 million tons of plastic waste generated by US households in 2021, only 2.4. Overall, the U.S. has a 5% plastic recycling rate, it added. This is a huge problem that brings us to our headline. As many Canadians know by now, the Trudeau government has declared war on plastic waste, as part of the larger "net zero" greenhouse gas emissions plan launched in 2020. The foundation says an item needs to meet a minimum 30% recycling rate to be considered as such: Plastic soda bottles, one of the most ubiquitous plastic products with the highest . More detailed message would go here to provide context for the user and how to proceed. (After New Jersey forbade stores from offering disposable plastic or paper bags, supermarkets ran out of handheld shopping baskets because so many customers were stealing them.) A new Greenpeace report calls plastic recycling a myth based on the low amount of material that gets recycled. For example, Greenpeace's claim that the rate for plastic recycling is 5% is not correct. A quarterly magazine of urban affairs, published by the Manhattan Institute, edited by Brian C. Anderson. Greenpeace on Sept. 14 published "The Climate Emergency Unpacked: How Consumer Goods Companies Are Fueling Big Oil's Plastic Expansion." The report is framed as an . Overall, the U.S. has a 5% plastic recycling rate, it added. Fifth and finally, the process of recycling is prohibitively expensive. Americans welcomed plastic products and packages because they were so much better than the alternative. The report concludes that plastics are "fundamentally not recyclable," that recycling is not economical . The average American generated just over 300 pounds of plastic per person in 2021, according to the report, which amounted to an astonishing 51 million tons of wrappers, bottles, bags and more in . If recycling is a solution, why are we still seeing all this plastic waste? Second, even if it were all collected, mixed plastic waste cannot be recycled together, and it would be "functionally impossible to sort the trillions of pieces of consumer plastic waste produced each year," the report said. The 40-page report is an update from a 2020 survey. By ABC NEWS October 27, 2022, 8:21 AM 3:22 On Location: November 23, 2022 Catch up on the developing stories making headlines. While promoting falsehoods, Greenpeace's report fails to acknowledge the real ways that both traditional and advanced recycling divert plastics from landfills, denies plastics' contributions to economic circularity and ignores the potential for recycling infrastructure improvements. Since everything is going in the same bin, plastic waste with no value or market ends up driving up the cost of the whole system, to the point where cities like Memphis, Philadelphia, and many others, are starting to struggle to pay for recycling. Greenpeace also notes brand owners and oil companies are collaborating to promote recycling as the primary solution to the plastic crisis and lobby against restrictions on single-use plastic.. These fatal flaws have been clear since the start of the recycling movement. Circular Claims Fall Flat Again, released today, finds that U.S. households generated an estimated 51 million tons of plastic waste in 2021, only 2.4 million tons of which was recycled. Sustainably hosted on wind powered servers by, Greenpeace: Recycling used as plastic industry smokescreen, an in-depth investigation aired last year, Stakeholders react as Global Plastics Treaty talks wrap up, Amcor triples goal for use of recycled resin. One reason: the plastic scare helps Greenpeace activists raise money and keep their jobs. An English countess could display her superiority by wearing a dress with silver stripes that were illegal for women of lower rank. The solutions being explored are mainly on recycling, which is not sufficient to address the plastics pollution crisis. Calling mechanical and chemical recycling of plastic waste a failure, the report says "it will always fail because plastic waste is: (1) extremely difficult to collect, (2) virtually impossible to sort for recycling, (3) environmentally harmful to reprocess, (4 . Meanwhile, most of the corporations responsible for producing all of this waste continue to try to push the costs of dealing with it onto taxpayers. While finally admitting the futility of plastic recycling, Greenpeace is making no apologies for the long campaign to foist it on the public, and the group is unashamedly pushing a new strategy thats even worse. A shocking new Greenpeace report reveals that most types of single-use plastic are not recyclable in the United States. Please select which cookies you are willing to store. Californias law forbidding hotels from offering disposable plastic toiletries is a gratuitous annoyance for travelers whod like a little bottle of shampoo, but it enables the states politicians and environmental groups to exercise power and pretend to be saviors of the planet. " Plastic packaging isn't really 'recyclable' in the US " (The Verge). Much of it ends up illegally dumped, burned (spewing toxic fumes), or reprocessed at rudimentary facilities that leak some of the plastics into rivers. We fully agree with this, strict measures should be implemented by our governments. Third, the recycling process itself is environmentally harmful, exposing workers to toxic chemicals and itself generating microplastics. AFP. So far, the main contributors to the plastic menace have no meaningful strategies to contribute to slaying this plastic monster. Advertisements featured housewives rejoicing that disposable plates and glasses freed them from dishwashing chores. There is a need to expand and build on this momentum to transition to a plastic-free future. Research shows that since the 1950s, only 9 percent of all the plastics produced has been recycled. According to Greenpeace USA's survey, only two types of plastic are widely accepted at the nation's 375 material recovery facilities. Cellophane was considered a marvel because it was both moisture-proof and transparent, keeping food fresher and enabling grocery shoppers to see what they were buying. " Plastics recycling a 'failed concept,' study says " (CBS News). These are numbered "1" and "2" according to a standardized system in which there are seven plastic types. According to Greenpeace USA's survey, only two types of plastic are widely accepted at the nation's 375 material recovery facilities. All Rights Reserved. It proposes finally to end the age of plastic by phasing out single-use plastics through a Global Plastics Treaty. This is a preposterous goalimagine phasing out disposable syringesand would be laughable except that environmentalists have already made some progress toward it. The pretense is so ridiculous that even Greenpeace will eventually abandon itbut once again, that could take a few decades. Greenpeace report finds plastics recycling is a dead-end street - ABC News Greenpeace report finds plastics recycling is a dead-end street Majority of plastic produced in US isn't recycled, according to new report. The Greenpeace report follows an in-depth investigation aired last year by the PBS news show Frontline that also raised concerns about the way the plastics industry positions itself around recycling. Greenpeace has seen the light, or at least a glimmer of rationality. In New York City, recycling a ton of plastic costs at least six times more than sending it to a landfill, according to a 2020 Manhattan Institute study, which estimated that the city could save $340 million annually by sending all its trash to landfills. | SergioVas / Shutterstock. A report this week from environmental group Greenpeace takes brand owners and industry groups to task for promoting recycling as the primary solution to plastic waste issues. Fast-moving goods industries such as Coca Cola, Nestle and Unilever, need to increase their ambitions. I have been appalled at the low rates of REALLY recyclingread elsewhere. Why ban products that are cheaper, sturdier, lighter, cleaner, healthier, and better for the environment? Titled "Circular Claims Fall Flat Again," the study found that of 51 million tons of plastic waste . 2022 AFP. And consumers need to be provided with a chance to choose to go plastic-free. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. So-called bioplastics might seem like a great idea, but they can actually be just as bad as normal plastic. Initiatives such as having plastic-free aisles in supermarkets will give consumers a chance to choose an alternative approach to shopping, and eliminate the need for recycling altogether. The busiest container redemption center in Oregon recently got an upgrade, delivering the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperatives neural network technology to a consumer-facing location for the first time. Target is selling you products that are labeled as recyclable, but in fact, are not. First published on October 24, 2022 / 6:20 AM. One of the worlds largest packaging producers, Amcor, has signed a deal to buy huge amounts of chemically recycled resin from one of the worlds largest plastics producers, ExxonMobil. Most of this plastic waste ends up on the seabed. Why not charging two bucks or even five a bag? Despite the widespread use of "recycling" symbols and marketing aimed at convincing us that it is okay to use throwaway plastic, only bottles and jugs meet the minimum legal standard to be labeled recyclable. What that actually means for the dutiful recycler is that most of those plastic items you are encouraged to wash, sort, and put in blue bins the ones numbered 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7, and even some of the 1s and 2s are usually ending up in landfills or incinerators, if not polluting the environment. The tote bags arent reused nearly often enough to offset their initial carbon footprint, and theyre breeding grounds for bacteria and viruses because theyre rarely washed properly. The activity is part of a global week of action calling on the multinational corporation to take concrete action to stop single-use plastic. Of course it can be done. Steve Alexander, president of the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) issued the following statement on the Greenpeace report: "Circular Claims Fall Flat Again": However, the organization is also aware that concerned individuals will continue to encounter plastic in their daily lives. According to Greenpeace USA's survey, only two types of plastic are widely accepted at the nation's 375 material recovery facilities. Greenpeace framed a new report as an examination of how packaging stakeholders and others have failed to reduce their reliance on single-use plastic. Nobody cares to save ten cent bags and just toss in landfill and those are worse than single use bags. Reply. Environmentalists zeal to ban plastic is far more destructive than their former passion to recycle it; its also harder to explain. Greenpeace has not said what will replace those raw materials. 702 H Street, NW, STE 300, Washington, D.C. 20001 | 1-800-722-6995. . Let's get the moral will! The environmental price has also been high because the plastic in American recycling bins has gone to developing countries with primitive waste-handling systems. A high-profile Greenpeace lawsuit against Walmart Inc. over plastic packaging recyclability claims is over, at least for now, after a federal judge dismissed the environmental group's claims on. The Power of Bad: How the Negativity Effect Rules Us and How We Can Rule It. They would drink their beverage, give the glass bottle back, and it would be sanitized and reused," she said. As stores and coffee shops banned reusable bags and mugs during the pandemic, Americans relearned the lessons of the early twentieth century, when public-health authorities promoted Dixie cups and other disposable products to counter threats like tuberculosis and the Spanish flu. Its time to face reality. Titled "Circular Claims Fall Flat Again," the study found that of 51 million tons of plastic waste generated by U.S. households in 2021, only 2.4 million tons were recycled, or around . To ignite change for the common good. A newly introduced bill in Congress is reviving parts of the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act, with a focus on environmental justice. ACT NOW before it is too late. the greenpeace report offers a wealth of statistics and an admirably succinct diagnosis: "mechanical and chemical recycling of plastic waste has largely failed and will always fail because plastic waste is: (1) extremely difficult to collect, (2) virtually impossible to sort for recycling, (3) environmentally harmful to reprocess, (4) often made Despite the widespread use of recycling symbols and marketing aimed at convincing us that it is okay to use throwaway plastic, only bottles and jugs meet the minimum legal standard to be labeled recyclable. The ban should extend to all single-use plastic materials such as single use plastic bottles, sachets and straws corporates cannot greenwash with the promise of recycling anynore. UK plastics sent for recycling in Turkey dumped and burned, Greenpeace finds Investigation reveals that 'plastic waste coming from the UK to Turkey is an environmental threat, not an economic. According to Greenpeace, researchers . But then, making life more pleasant for humans has never been high on the green agenda. An examination of U.S. recycling facilities, which Greenpeace and the nonprofit Last Beach Cleanup released earlier this year, found that only some bottles and jugs made from plastics labeled Nos . The Greenpeace USA report, "Circular Claims Fall Flat Again," released Monday, Oct. 24, concludes that most plastic generated in the U.S. cannot be recycled, to which the plastics and recycling industries respond that recycling is essential to plastics' circularity while acknowledging that the recycling rate must improve. Plastic packaging is the problem, not recycling. Copyright The Greenpeace report offers a wealth of statistics and an admirably succinct diagnosis: Mechanical and chemical recycling of plastic waste has largely failed and will always fail because plastic waste is: (1) extremely difficult to collect, (2) virtually impossible to sort for recycling, (3) environmentally harmful to reprocess, (4) often made of and contaminated by toxic materials, and (5) not economical to recycle. Greenpeace could have added a sixth reason: forcing people to sort and rinse their plastic garbage is a waste of everyones time. And of course, we know very well that what gets burned or landfilled ends up contaminating our environment too, with toxic chemicals ending up in the soil we grow our food, the water we drink, and the air we breathe. Greenpeace's report found that "most common plastics in the US that are often considered recyclable - PET #1 and HDPE #2, typically bottles and jugs - fall well below the EMF NPE threshold,. The group has issued a report accompanied by a press release headlined, Plastic Recycling Is A Dead-End StreetYear After Year, Plastic Recycling Declines Even as Plastic Waste Increases. The groups overall policy remains delusionalthe report proposes a far more harmful alternative to recyclingbut its nonetheless encouraging to see environmentalists put aside their obsessions long enough to contemplate reality. (Read about how plastic bottles end up in Kenyas waterways and not its recycling plants). The survey found that of the 51 million tonnes of plastic waste generated by US households in 2021, only 2. . WASHINGTON, United States Plastic recycling rates are declining even as production shoots up, according to a Greenpeace USA report out Monday that blasted industry claims of creating an efficient, circular economy as "fiction.". They are set to collect data such as how long users stay on a page or which links are clicked. Joe Gillard Greenpeace published a report on Monday, October 24 th that had some harsh words for the plastics industry, as well as aspects of the recycling industry. That strategy, Greenpeace adds, is derailing larger conversations about material use and environmental impacts. Circular Claims Fall Flat Again, released today, finds that U.S. households generated This has been obvious for decades to anyone who crunched the numbers, but the fantasy of recycling plastic proved irresistible to generations of environmentalists and politicians. This means an end to the business model which relies on disposable products and one way packaging, and the start of a new paradigm that will allow the co-creation of alternative delivery systems that encourages reusing and refilling, over recycling, which we know, just does not work. Creeping censorship on digital platforms is alarmingbut the decentralizing forces of new technology make Chinese-style control unlikely. Hi Sandra, you have raised good question, the are a lot of debates surrounding Ecobrick projects.Once we getting it finalised we will let you know. John Tierney is a contributing editor of City Journal and coauthor of The Power of Bad: How the Negativity Effect Rules Us and How We Can Rule It. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Mixed reactions followed the first meeting on a Global Plastics Treaty, with some complaints about industry interference.. notifications of new cookies, disabling cookies and deleting cookies). Copyright 2022 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. There is a growing call and concern for action against this monstrous problem. Greenpeace Study Calls Plastics Recycling "Fiction" Oct. 26, 2022 An update to a 2020 report has harsh words for the plastic and recycling industries. "When looking at plastic recycling, APR uses the amount of consumer-facing . Plastic waste isn't just a problem for nature, it's a problem for people too Plastic Recycling Waste Management Plastic Greenpeace Recycling More stories from Plastic Recycling The Last Thing You Should Do with an Empty Yogurt Container Cubby - Shifrah Combiths Greenpeace Report: 'Most Plastic Is Just Not Recyclable' ecowatch.com - Olivia Rosane Anchorage man demonstrates technology to recycle plastic ocean waste Despite often carrying the recycling symbol on their labels, products that use plastic types "3" through "7" fail to meet the Federal Trade Commission classification of recyclable. "More plastic is being produced, and an even smaller. Researchers have repeatedly found these bags to be responsible for gastrointestinal infections, but the warnings got little attention until the Covid pandemic suddenly revived respect for disposable products. The new report analyzed plastic generation, use, and recycling in the U.S., and found that in 2021, U.S. households produced about 51 million tons of plastic waste in 2021. In January 2021, Greenpeace moved the case from a state trial court to the U.S. District Court for the District of Northern California. Plastic recycling rates are declining even as production shoots up, according to a Greenpeace USA report released on Monday that blasted industry claims of creating an efficient, circular economy . A new report by the environmental nonprofit Greenpeace released on Monday finds that the vast majority of plastic waste produced by U.S. households is not recycled. Thank you for this enlightening article and reality of the weakness of recycle. A shocking new Greenpeace report reveals that most types of single-use plastic are not recyclable in the United States. I too often see shoppers at supermarkets mindlessly grab plastic bags after bags from dispenser rolls in the produce section for single or a few items that don't really need to be bagged at all like one cucumber, an orange, a cabbage Half-ass plastic bag laws are not helpful either. Greenpeace's report was released on 26 May. A shocking new Greenpeace report reveals that most types of single-use plastic are not recyclable in the United States. Although plastic recycling can still continue to serve as a turning point for someone who wants to become part of the solution, especially in plastic waste management and smart consumption, Greenpeace's report makes it clear that recycling alone will not stop the ongoing problem of plastic waste. Recycling, while impractical, at least offered emotional rewards to hoarders reluctant to put anything in the trash and to the many people who perform garbage-sorting as a ritual of atonementa sacrament of the green religion. A new report from Greenpeace calls plastic recycling a "failed concept" after 30 years of unsuccessful efforts to recycle plastics that left consumers with the idea they are helping prevent trash when most of their efforts end up in the landfill anyway. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Single use bags are banned and replaced with heavy plastic bags charged 10 cents each? Corporates and businesses must move beyond pledges on improving recycling and commit to massive phasing out on their single-use plastic usage. For instance, shortening products supply chains by sourcing and distributing more locally, reduces the need for packaging allowing more innovative product delivery options that not only foster reduced waste production, but also promote community connectedness. This is because recycling facilities for these types aren't available to a "substantial majority" of the population, defined as 60 percent, and because the collected products are not being used in the manufacturing or assembly of new items. According to Greenpeace, researchers . The first is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is. In Kenya, the phase out of unnecessary and problematic single-use plastics has already been set in motion by the authorities through the ban on single-use plastic carrier bags. Of that, only about 2.4 million tons were recycled. The recycling process itself is harmful to both the environment and the workers. Their labels are misleading, and often incorrect. According to a survey by Greenpeace USA, only two types of plastic are widely accepted at the country's 375 recycling . Greenpeace issued a report accompanied by a press release headlined "Plastic Recycling Is A Dead-End Street -- Year After Year, Plastic Recycling Declines Even as Plastic Waste. However, facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored And it pointed to Environmental Protection Agency data from 2018, the most recent available, which showed plastics recycling rates below that 30 percent EMF standard: 25.5 percent for PET. According to Johnson, "100 percent of the #1 and #2 plastic containers" about three-quarters of the plastic being placed in the city's green carts is being recycled. Companies are still dragging their feet, but we are starting to see some very encouraging regulatory proposals from cities, states, and even the US Congress. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. In a press release published September 9, 2020, non-governmental organization Greenpeace announced the release of an analysis report in which it criticizes the use of the labels "chemical recycling" and "advanced recycling" as misleading terms for waste- and plastic-to-fuel technologies. Despite the widespread use of recycling symbols and marketing aimed at convincing us that it is okay to use throwaway plastic, only bottles and jugs meet the minimum legal standard to be labeled recyclable. Absolutely yes, kindly fill in our online application form to get started. But being recyclable in theory doesn't mean products are being recycled in practice. New Greenpeace Report: Plastic Recycling Is A Dead-End StreetYear After Year, Plastic Recycling Declines Even as Plastic Waste Increases Paper, cardboard, and metals are all recycled at a high rate, but plastic continues to be trash October 24, 2022 Most plastic simply cannot be recycled, a new Greenpeace USA report concludes. Plastics made of renewable, organic biomass sources, like vegetable fats and oils, and corn starch. Shockingly, the research said no type of plastic packaging in America met the threshold needed to be considered "recyclable" promoted by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's New Plastics Economy Initiative. Greenpeace said that companies that produce plastic should support the Global Plastics Treaty, which the group says will significantly decrease production and increase refill and reuse. Amos Wemanya is a Greenpeace Africa Plastic Campaigner based in Nairobi, Kenya. According to Greenpeace, plastic recycling is failing for five main reasons: Recycling is difficult to collect due to plastic's widespread nature Plastics are difficult to sort for recycling The recycling process itself is harmful to the environment Plastics are often made of toxic materials It's just not economically feasible to recycle In a report, Recycling Myth 2.0, published on 27 May, the group claimed that since China introduced stricter measures on the importing of material in 2018, Malaysia has seen a huge increase in the amount of imported plastic, both legal and illegal. Environmentalists need something to replace their failed recycling campaign. These cookies will provide you a better experience of our website. And the report alleges that The Recycling Partnership and the American Chemistry Council are calling for investment in recycling while failing to support the introduction of state-level legislation requiring refundable deposits on plastic bottles., Among other criticisms, the report describes chemical recycling as the next act of a decades-long effort by the fossil fuel and consumer goods industries to convince the public that recycling can mitigate the massive environmental costs of single-use plastic despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.. The Greenpeace report touches on a number of concerns related to plastics recycling - growing volumes of waste generated and possible toxicity complications, for instance. According to the Greenpeace report, no type of plastic packaging . October 24, 2022 / 6:20 AM Greenpeace's report found that "most common plastics in the US that are often considered recyclable - PET #1 and HDPE #2, typically bottles and jugs - fall well below the EMF NPE threshold, only achieving reprocessing rates of 20.9 percent and 10.3 percent, respectively. Virtually all the consumer plastics polluting the worlds oceans comes from mismanaged waste in developing countries. Ive calculated that to offset the greenhouse impact of one passengers round-trip transatlantic flight, youd have to recycle 40,000 plastic bottlesand if you used hot water to rinse those bottles, the net effect could be more carbon in the atmosphere. The Greenpeace report is focused on the ultimate solution to the plastics problem, and it concludes that history reveals that recycling is not it. Banning single-use plastic grocery bags has added carbon to the atmosphere by forcing shoppers to use heavier paper bags and tote bags that require much more energy to manufacture and transport. Amcor signs PCR offtake deal with ExxonMobil, Study: Recycling accounts for tiny share of plastics total GHGs, Another aggressive plastics bill lands in Congress, Oregon redemption center brings AI counting to consumers, See more Plastics Recycling Update headlines. It is clear that plastics recycling cannot resolve the plastic pollution problem and is being used as a smokescreen by industry to divert attention away from the systemic changes that are needed, the report states. Plastic types "3" through "7" including children's toys, plastic bags, produce wrappings, yogurt and margarine tubs, coffee cups and to-go food containers were reprocessed at rates of less than five percent. Societies and communities are getting concerned about the plastic pollution monster. This should start with the main contributors to the plastic pollution crisis who must take responsibility for this problem and reevaluate their dependency on single-use plastics packaging. Because as bad as plastic is for marine life and human health. We operate in a broken system. For producers of single-use plastic products must switch to production of environmental safe alternative packaging. The companies on the list used 13.8 billion pounds of recycled resin. Companies are still dragging their feet, but we are starting to see some very encouraging regulatory proposals from cities, states, and even the US Congress. Sustainably hosted on wind powered servers by Mobius Intelligent Systems. I. The group has issued a report accompanied by a press release headlined, "Plastic Recycling Is A Dead-End StreetYear After . ", First, plastic waste is generated in vast quantities and is extremely difficult to collect as becomes clear during what the report called ineffective "volunteer cleanup stunts" funded by nonprofits such as "Keep America Beautiful.". This marked the beginning of the throwaway society, and the term wasnt originally used pejoratively. But progressives also dont seem to care about the implications for climate change and public health. In a report titled 'Circular Claims Fall Flat Again' and released on Monday, the environmental organization stated that of 51 million tons of plastic waste generated by US households in 2021 . I really like what you people are doing to maintain good and condusive green environment.Can i join you in this campaighn?? Fourth, recycled plastic carries toxicity risks through contamination with other plastic types in collection bins, preventing it from becoming food-grade material again. By clicking Got it! you agree to our, nly 9 percent of all the plastics produced has been recycled. The organization criticizes the Plastics Industry Association for lobbying in favor of bills that preempt local governments from banning plastic bags. proposed by Senator Udall and Representative Lowenthal is exactly the kind of comprehensive legislation we need right now. Models such as supermarkets having milk ATMs for refilling milk rather than packaging it in plastic bottles is another good example. We urgently need to stop the production of single-use plastics. the greenpeace report offers a wealth of statistics and an admirably succinct diagnosis: "mechanical and chemical recycling of plastic waste has largely failed and will always fail because plastic waste is: (1) extremely difficult to collect, (2) virtually impossible to sort for recycling, (3) environmentally harmful to reprocess, (4) often made Greenpeace USA just released a new report titled Circular Claims Fall Flat Again, which is an update of a 2020 report. 3-7. Greenpeace and other . Thank you for reaching us. Once the plastic waste enters the seabed, it makes it impossible to clean up. Meanwhile, most of the corporations responsible for producing all of this waste continue to try to push the costs of dealing with it onto taxpayers. When I wrote about it a quarter-century ago, experts were already warning that recycling plastic was hopelessly impractical because it was so complicated and labor-intensive, but municipal officials kept trying in the hope that somebody would eventually find it worthwhile to buy their plastic trash. They should start to reimagine a model where disposable plastics are eliminated. Chile is moving to phase out single-use cutlery and mandating refillable bottles. In December 2020, Greenpeace first sued in state court alleging that Walmart's recyclability labeling on plastic packaging was illegal, taking issue specifically with the How2Recycle label on plastics Nos. Learn how you can help hold retailers accountable. Instead, theyve had to pay dearly to get rid of it, typically by shipping it to Asian countries with cheaper labor and looser environmental rules. Now Greenpeace has seen the light, or at least a glimmer of rationality. 1. Austria has set reuse targets of 25 percent by 2025 and at least 30 percent by 2030 for beverage packaging, while Portugal has also set the 30 percent by 2030 goal. But theres more to it than just financial self-interest. Infographic illustrating acceptance rates of #3-7 plastics at recycling facilities in the U.S. Dont let this report turn you off on recycling. "Industry groups and big corporations have been pushing for recycling as a solution," Greenpeace USA campaigner Lisa Ramsden told AFP. / AFP, Washington Plastic recycling rates are declining even as production shoots up, according to a Greenpeace USA report out Monday that blasted industry claims of creating an efficient, circular economy as "fiction.". Lisa Ramsden, a senior plastics campaigner at Greenpeace USA and one of the authors of the report, spoke with host Brad Mielke on ABC News' "Start Here" podcast about the biggest takeaways from the report, the state of the . The Environmental Protection Agency has promoted recycling as a way to reduce carbon emissions, but its own figures show that the benefits are relatively small and come almost entirely from recycling paper products and metals, not plastic. These fragments are consumed by sea animals. WTF! Greenpeace is questioning industry claims of more than $5 billion in new investments in U.S. plastics recycling since China's National Sword crackdown in 2017. Every single corporate commitment made by the main plastic polluters allows the continuous use of single-use plastic packaging. The World Economic Forum estimates that globally, 32 percent of plastic packaging escapes the collection systems. Besides specific companies, Greenpeace also lays blame with industry groups. "By doing that, they have shirked all responsibility" for ensuring that recycling actually works, she added. Even Greenpeace has finally acknowledged the truth: recycling plastic makes no sense. Plastic recycling remains a 'myth': Greenpeace study phys.org - by Issam AHMED 3h Plastic recycling rates are declining even as production shoots up, according to a Greenpeace U.S. report out Monday that blasted industry claims of Read more on phys.org Plastic Recycling Waste Management Plastic Greenpeace Recycling By the time plastic products reach their end of life, the bulk of their climate damage has already been done, according to a study that reaffirms greenhouse gasses tied to plastics are mostly generated in prime resin production, shipping and molding. "New plastic directly competes with recycled plastic, and it's far cheaper to produce and of higher quality," said the report. Some countries are leading the way, including India, which recently banned 19 single-use plastic items. This release updates a 2020 Greenpeace report that found the same things. After peaking in 2014 at 10 percent, the trend has been decreasing, especially since China stopped accepting the West's plastic waste in 2018. Plastic waste cannot be mixed and recycled. Our dissection of Greenpeaces questionable plastics recycling math drew readers interest in November. When it comes to plastics, however, the common belief that items in the recycling bin will end up being repurposed down the line is rarely borne out. Even Greenpeace now admits the obvious: recycling doesnt work. Some industry leaders took issue with some of the claims. A recent Greenpeace Study about plastic recycling had some harsh criticism for producers of plastic products and for the recycling industry itself.. Visit Greenpeace Fund, a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) charitable entity created to increase public awareness and understanding of environmental issues through research, the media and educational programs. Appeared in the Toronto Sun, December 7, 2022. 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