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

 

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

Most US voters say plastics industry should be held responsible for recycling claims – report

Even a majority of Republicans support efforts to hold manufacturers accountable for allegedly deceptive claims…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/sep/09/us-voters-distrust-plastics-manufacturers-claims

Why you can recycle pizza boxes, and other recycling myths debunked - The Washington Post

Can you recycle pizza boxes? Is all paper recyclable? How clean do your recyclables have to be?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2024/05/13/can-you-recycle-pizza-boxes/

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

Europe is beating its addiction to plastics. Why is the US so far behind?

In Paris, and elsewhere in Europe, plastics are clearly on their way out and paper is in. The standard takeaway cup in coffee shops, juice bars and cafes serving hipster smoothies is paper, and when there is a straw, it's paper as well (or some other biodegradable non-plastic material). Delivery food orders arrive in paper cartons –some with a chic design touch that plastic could never replicate, unspooling like origami flowers to reveal the food within – in paper bags. Utensils, when requested, are wooden and wrapped in paper. And in grocery stores, bulk sections for pasta, nuts, dried fruit, cereals, rice and legumes are normal, as is putting those things (or your fruit and vegetables) in paper bags. 

Fast food chains such as Pret A Manger, which has opened in at least six European countries outside the UK, Exki, which has branches throughout the Benelux countries and France, and even McDonald's and Burger King serve food consumed on location in glass or other types of reusable packaging. Extended producer responsibility schemes (which hold companies to account for recapturing the packaging they produce) mean that plastic bottle caps no longer fully detach, increasing the likelihood that they too end up recycled…

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/sep/21/europe-is-beating-its-addiction-to-plastics-why-is-the-us-so-far-behind

 

Dead EV batteries turn to gold with US incentives | Reuters

A little-publicized clause in the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act has companies scrambling to recycle electric vehicle batteries in North America, putting the region at the forefront of a global race to undermine China's dominance of the field...

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/dead-ev-batteries-turn-gold-with-us-incentives-2023-07-21/

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

Researchers turned superglue into a recyclable, cheap, oil-free plastic alternative

Because our superglue plastic has properties similar to polystyrene – it is light, durable, cheap and easy to mass-produce – it could replace polystyrene in many products. But there are two distinct benefits of our superglue-based material: It isn't made from oil and is easy to recycle...

https://theconversation.com/researchers-turned-superglue-into-a-recyclable-cheap-oil-free-plastic-alternative-202315

Electric Vehicle Battery Reuse and Recycling (Got Science podcast Episode #150)

Vehicles analyst Jess Dunn explores how electric vehicle batteries can be reused, repurposed, and recycled.

Interview: 

https://soundcloud.com/gotscience/ep-150-ev-battery-reuse-and-recycling

Got Science? · Ep. 150: Electric Vehicle Battery Reuse and Recycling

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/

Maine becomes first state to shift costs of recycling from taxpayers to companies - The Washington Post

…The legislation on EPR for packaging will charge large packaging producers for collecting and recycling cardboard boxes, plastic containers and other packaging materials, as well as for disposing of nonrecyclable packaging. The income generated will be used to support recycling efforts in local communities that have long relied on taxpayer dollars...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/maine-becomes-first-state-to-shift-costs-of-recycling-from-taxpayers-to-companies/2021/07/13/aa6fbe44-e416-11eb-8aa5-5662858b696e_story.html

New plant-based plastics can be chemically recycled with near-perfect efficiency - The Academic Times

German chemists have developed two sustainable plastic alternatives to high-density polyethylene that can be chemically recycled more easily and nearly 10 times as efficiently, thanks to "break points" engineered into their molecular structures...
https://academictimes.com/new-plant-based-plastics-can-be-chemically-recycled-with-near-perfect-efficiency/

The Afterlife of Electric Car Batteries (Union of Concerned Scientists, Got Science? podcast)

When electric vehicles start retiring, what happens to their batteries? Transportation expert Hanjiro Ambrose discusses the importance of recycling EV batteries.
Interview:
https://soundcloud.com/gotscience/ep-91-the-afterlife-of-electric-car-batteries

Got Science? · Ep. 91: The Afterlife of Electric Car Batteries

The end of plastic? New plant-based bottles will degrade in a year

The end of plastic? New plant-based bottles will degrade in a year
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/16/the-end-of-plastic-new-plant-based-bottles-will-degrade-in-a-year

Bill targets single-use plastics in push to make manufacturers responsible | TheHill

Two congressional Democrats are planning to roll out legislation that would fight plastic pollution by banning certain types of single-use containers and requiring manufacturers to use more recycled content in their packaging. The legislation from Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), expected Tuesday, would ban plastic takeout bags, utensils and straws that cannot be recycled starting in 2022 and begin a nationwide container deposit system, mirroring programs in the Northeast and other parts of the country that pay consumers 10 cents for every returned beverage container.
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/482396-bill-targets-single-use-plastics-in-push-to-make-manufacturers

Wind Turbine Blades Can’t Be Recycled, So They’re Piling Up in Landfills - Bloomberg

Companies are searching for ways to deal with the tens of thousands of blades that have reached the end of their lives. ....
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-02-05/wind-turbine-blades-can-t-be-recycled-so-they-re-piling-up-in-landfills

Revolutionary recycling? New technology turns everyday trash into plastic treasure - The Washington Post

UBQ Materials says its process can profitably help tackle the world's huge waste problem.....
https://www.washingtonpost.com/classic-apps/revolutionary-recycling-a-new-technology-turns-everyday-trash-into-plastic-treasure/2019/11/18/8517d1ea-025e-11ea-9518-1e76abc088b6_story.html