The Iran War’s Other Bill—And You’re Paying It – Mother Jones

Oil is used to make plastics and petrochemicals, so higher prices are already starting to work their way into the cost of everything from stuffed animals, diapers, and baby wipes to crayons, bottled water, soft drinks, and clothing...

 https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/08/the-iran-wars-other-bill-and-youre-paying-it/

California’s landmark anti-plastics law sparks anger as 17 states move to sue

The law, which was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2022 but only took effect in May, requires plastic and packaging companies to use less single-use plastic, and ensure by 2032 that all packaging is either recyclable or compostable. The big idea is to incentivize producers of plastics to consider the end of their products’ life in order to create better, more sustainable bottles, containers and wrappings. 

Under the new rules, plastic producers have to cut single-use plastic, increase recycling rates, and pay $5bn to remedy harms from plastic pollution…

 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/26/california-single-use-plastic-law

 

World in $1.5tn ‘plastics crisis’ hitting health from infancy to old age, report warns

Plastics are a "grave, growing and under-recognised danger" to human and planetary health, a new expert review has warned. The world is in a "plastics crisis", it concluded, which is causing disease and death from infancy to old age and is responsible for at least $1.5tn (£1.1tn) a year in health-related damages...

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/03/world-in-15tn-plastics-crisis-hitting-health-from-infancy-to-old-age-report-warns 

‘Total infiltration’: How plastics industry swamped vital global treaty talks

…a flood of industry lobbyists and organisations have joined the talks, far outnumbering national delegations and scientists. They assist a group of petrostates, led by Saudi Arabia, in blocking the progress that many nations want, and are part of a wider "petrochemical bloc" that a recent study says "is driving up plastics production, externalising the costs of pollution, distorting scientific knowledge, and lobbying to derail negotiations"…

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jul/23/total-infiltration-how-plastics-industry-swamped-vital-global-treaty-talks

 

ExxonMobil Accused of “Deceptively” Promoting Chemical Recycling as a Solution for the Plastics Crisis (ProPublica)

The California attorney general’s lawsuit, which cites ProPublica reporting, alleges that products made with Exxon’s process contain only a small fraction of the recycled plastic that they claim to have.

https://www.propublica.org/article/exxonmobil-plastics-recycling-pyrolysis-lawsuit-california

California Sues Exxon Over Plastics Pollution and Recycling ‘Myth’ - The New York Times

The lawsuit, seeking 'multiple billions of dollars,' opens a new front in the legal battles with oil and gas companies over climate and environmental issues...

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/23/climate/california-exxon-mobil-plastics-pollution-recycling-lawsuit.html

New Report Makes the Case for Legal Action Over the Fraud of Plastic Recycling

"This evidence shows that many of the same fossil fuel companies that knew and lied for decades about how their products cause climate change have also known and lied to the public about plastic recycling. The oil industry's lies are at the heart of the two most catastrophic pollution crises in human history," said CCI President Richard Wiles. "When corporations and trade groups know that their products pose grave risks to society, and then lie to the public and policymakers about it, they must be held accountable. Accountability means stopping the lying, telling the truth, and paying for the damage they've caused."

https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/new-report-makes-the-case-for-legal-action-over-the-fraud-of-plastic-recycling

Whitehouse Exposes BROKEN U.S. Recycling System

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S-epJ2YW38

90% of Great Lakes water samples have unsafe microplastic levels – report

But experts say damage can be reversed if US and Canada act quickly to stop new plastics from entering lake system…

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/17/great-lakes-water-microplastic-pollution-contamination

New Zealand bans thin plastic fruit and vegetable bags in world first | Evening Standard

The ban is expected to reduce the use of 150 million bags a year…

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/new-zealand-ban-plastic-fruit-vegetable-bags-world-first-carrier-bags-environment-b1091015.html

Recycled and reused food contact plastics are ‘vectors’ for toxins – study

"There are clear indications of brominated flame retardants that came from your old TV, computer, keyboard," Geueke said. "It's certainly not legal."

The review identified similar problems with reusable plastic items for food contact, such as kitchen utensils, water bottles, tableware, baby bottles, water dispensers, tubing of milking machines and more...

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/27/recycled-reused-food-plastic-toxins-study

What plastics can you recycle? Here’s a handy list – The Hill

A guide to navigating recycling...

https://thehill.com/changing-america/sustainability/environment/3713818-what-plastics-can-you-recycle-heres-a-handy-list/

Canada to ban sale of single use plastics by end of 2023 | PBS NewsHour

In addition to bags and takeout boxes, the ban will affect plastic straws, bags, cutlery, stir sticks and six-pack rings that hold cans and bottles…

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/canada-to-ban-sale-of-single-use-plastics-by-end-of-2023

Big Tobacco is killing the planet with plastics. No smokescreen should be allowed to hide that | Vinayak Prasad and Andy Rowell | The Guardian

Governments should also require the tobacco industry to clean up the waste that results from its products and pay for the environmental damage. And they can implement the WHO treaty, which has provisions to help governments protect themselves from being the targets of industry-sponsored PR campaigns.

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2022/may/26/big-tobacco-is-killing-the-planet-with-plastics-no-smokescreen-should-hide-that-acc

Five myths about plastics - The Washington Post

…Plastics' historical and material origins remain obscure, oversimplified and misunderstood, resulting in at least several myths…

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/01/14/five-myths-plastics/

Bottle-fed babies swallow millions of microplastics a day, study finds

Exposure is far higher than previously thought and also affects plastic food containers....
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/19/bottle-fed-babies-swallow-millions-microplastics-day-study