Companies knew for decades recycling was not viable but promoted it regardless, Center for Climate Integrity study finds

Plastic producers have known for more than 30 years that recycling is not an economically or technically feasible plastic waste management solution. That has not stopped them from promoting it, according to a new report.

“The companies lied,” said Richard Wiles, president of fossil-fuel accountability advocacy group the Center for Climate Integrity (CCI), which published the report. “It’s time to hold them accountable for the damage they’ve caused.”

  • Extra_Special_Carbon@lemmy.worldEnglish
    123·
    9 months ago

    The thing is, chemists knew it. Nobody wanted to hear it. There are only three things worth recycling: Aluminum, glass, and electronics.

    • Gabu@lemmy.worldEnglish
      111·
      9 months ago

      That’s extremely reductionist and inaccurate. Most metals can be recycled easily, not only aluminium.

      • AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.worldEnglish
        43·
        9 months ago

        Aluminium is typically used as is though, while many other metals are used as alloys. I suspect that it makes things much easier when you don’t have to worry about composition.

        Note that I don’t really know anything much about metals or recycling, so I might be completely wrong.

          • AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.worldEnglish
            3·
            9 months ago

            Well, that just shows that I shouldn’t speak of topics that I don’t know anything about. :)

            Thanks for the corrections.

            • Hadriscus@lemm.eeEnglish
              2·
              9 months ago

              Had you not said anything, the guy above would not have sent a Wiki link, and I wouldn’t have read it

                • spamspeicher@feddit.deEnglish
                  11·
                  9 months ago

                  The most fun you can have on the Internet is correcting people who are wrong. So, today was a good and fun day. Thanks. ;)

        • AnyOldName3@lemmy.worldEnglish
          4·
          9 months ago

          Waste metal is basically always going to be purer and easier to deal with than metal ore, so it’s worth recycling nearly anything that it’s worth mining the ore for. Aluminium’s particularly recyclable because it’s expensive to make it from ore, and much less expensive to melt existing aluminium.

    • ryathal@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      5·
      9 months ago

      Glass is marginal at best for recycling. It’s good for reuse. Cardboard is almost as good as aluminum for recycling