A new report from Greenpeace not only points to the failure of plastic recycling but also argues that the plastics industry's decades-long propaganda about recycling has become a public health and political issue.
The report states, "Plastic recycling is a dangerous illusion," now used to obstruct regulation, hinder policy reform, and downplay growing health risks.
"Recycling is a toxic lie," the report says. "These companies...constantly peddle a reassuring lie to the public to cover up the harsh truth: we must stop producing so much plastic."
Greenpeace states that despite mounting scientific evidence linking plastic chemicals and microplastics to cancer, endocrine disorders, and other chronic diseases, recent federal health strategies have completely avoided the issue of plastics.
Greenpeace accuses these companies of spreading misleading rhetoric about chemical recycling and plastic reuse, claiming their propaganda aims to undermine the stricter rules under the Global Plastics Treaty. The report suggests that the plastics industry is using global negotiations to protect its production.