new a report Greenpeace USA has revealed that plastic recycling has largely failed after decades of being promoted by companies as a solution to the pollution crisis. The report revealed that only five of the 8.8 million tonnes of the most common types of plastics – found in items such as bottles, jugs, food containers and lids – are actually recyclable. Furthermore, plastic recycling rates in the United States have fallen in half since 2014, from 9.5% to approximately 5% to 6% today. The report concludes that plastic recycling is no longer a viable solution now than it was in the 1950s.
Our team of researchers also uncovered efforts by plastics manufacturers, retailers, prominent plastic-based brands, and related trade associations – so-called “myth mongers” – to mislead the public, protect their profits, and delay regulatory action.
Major brands such as Coca-Cola, Unilever, and Nestlé have quietly retreated from their sustainability commitments while continuing to rely on single-use plastic packaging. Furthermore, the U.S. plastics industry is working to undermine meaningful plastics regulation by making false claims about the recyclability of its products to avoid bans and limit public backlash. With global plastic production continuing to rise and expected to triple by 2050, our report examines the ineffectiveness of voluntary measures without regulatory support.
John Hocevar, Oceans Campaign Director at Greenpeace USA, said: “Recycling is a toxic lie pushed by the plastics industry that is now supported by the pro-plastic narrative coming out of the White House. These companies and their partners continue to sell the public a convenient lie to hide the hard truth: that we simply He owns To stop producing so much plastic. Instead of investing in real solutions, they have poured billions into PR campaigns that keep us addicted to single-use plastic while our communities, oceans and bodies pay the price.
Despite growing public awareness of the environmental and health concerns posed by plastics and microplastics, Myth Merchants Reveals many companies have It escalated they Disinformation campaigns and aggressive lobbying – They are supported by a compromised government.
While the Make Americans Healthy Again (MAHA) platform has pledged to address chronic diseases linked to toxic chemicals, it recently pledged Health report Plastics are largely avoided – one of the most widespread sources of chemical exposure. Despite the growing scientific consensus on the health risks and Economic costs of plastic pollutionThe report is display only Ambiguous obligations To establish a framework for studying exposure to chemicals, including microplastics, allocate limited funding for safer agriculture, and launch a public awareness campaign on pesticides.
Joe Banner, executive director of The Descendants Project A non-profit organization dedicated to preserving Black history and fighting environmental racism in frontline communities in Louisiana’s river parishesHe said: “It’s the same story everywhere: poor, black, brown, and indigenous communities turned into sacrifice zones so oil companies and big brands can keep making money. They call it development — but it’s exploitation, plain and simple. There’s nothing okay about poisoning our air, water, and food to sell more discarded plastic. Our communities are not sacrifice zones, and we are not disposable.”
Among the report’s other key findings on the ineffectiveness of plastic recycling:
- Gaps in access to recycling: Up to 43% of American households lack access to basic recycling services. Participation in recycling is also decreasing.
- Infrastructure limitations: Of the 380 municipal recycling facilities across the country, only 46 are capable of processing common consumer plastics.
- Technological frontiers: Only 1 in 6 “advanced recycling” plants can handle mixed post-consumer waste – and even at full capacity, these facilities cannot meet the 60% recycling rate required by law.
- Cost to taxpayers: The public has to pay to collect and sort the plastics, while most of them end up in a landfill with the rest of the garbage.
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